The X-Pirates
by pokeball645
Summary: Enter the Great Pirate Era with Luffy, Tarble, and a bunch of other pirates as they set sail to find the ultimate treasure left by Gold Roger, the One Piece! (Contains OCs from the Dragon Ball Xenoverse series) Also includes the following pairings: Tarble X Vivi, Luffy X Nami, Raditz X Hasky, & Zoro X Robin. (Alternate Universe 7)
1. Chapter 1

Hey readers, pokeball645 with yet another story, this time it's a crossover between Dragon Ball Z and One Piece. There will some changes from the show, but I'll let that be a surprise. Now, the disclaimer: Dragon Ball Z belongs to Akira Toriyama, One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda, and both of them belong to Funimation and Toei Animation. And now, I present to you... The X-Pirates!

* * *

Wealth, fame, power, Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates obtained this and everything else the world had to offer, and his dying words drove countless souls to the seas.

"You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place! Now you just have to find it!" Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates, said before he was killed.

These words that the King of the Pirates said lured men to the Grand Line in pursuit of dreams greater than they've ever dared to imagine!

This is the time known as the Great Pirate Era!

However, no one didn't count on a mysterious pod from outer space making its way over to Earth, what's even in the pod might shake up the Great Pirate Era, for better or for worse!

**The X-Pirates!**

* * *

And there's the beginning, I know it's a bit short, but the first chapter is coming up soon so don't worry, enjoy and don't forget to review!


	2. The Beginning of a New Adventure!

The Beginning of a New Adventure!

It's a nice sunny day out at sea, and some sailors on a ship holding a party were keeping an eye out for anything lurking in the water.

The sailor on the crows nest spotted something in the water next to the ship and told the others, "Hey, I see a barrel floating this way!" then the other sailors keeping watch saw that it was indeed a barrel floating their way, so they used a rope with a hook to try and bring it up, the two sailors found out it was easier said than done.

"Man, this thing's heavy!" one sailor grunted as they brought the barrel to their ship.

"Must have tons of beer inside." the second sailor said as the sailor up on the crows nest looked through his telescope and saw something coming down from the sky, so he began to panic.

"Something's falling down from the sky!" the sailor on the crows nest yelled in fear as he pointed up.

"Aw come on, you're probably just seeing things." the first sailor said not believing what he's been told.

"I'm serious! See for yourself!" the sailor in the crows nest yelled tossing the other two sailors his telescope.

"Okay, I'll take a look just to prove you..." the second sailor began, but he stopped when he looked through the telescope to see that something was indeed falling from the sky, that's when he screamed, "AAHHHH! You were right, something is falling from the sky!"

Not too long after he said that, the mysterious object came splashing in the water next to the ship, making it tilt around with the waving water as the sailors held on for dear life, after a few seconds, the ship and the water stopped moving.

"Sheesh, what the hell was that?" the first sailor asked while holding on to the barrel for dear life as the mysterious object suddenly floated up to the surface next to their ship as the sailors ran over to the side of the ship to get a closer look, and they saw that it was some sort of white pod with a round red window in front of it.

"What do you guys think it is?" the second sailor asked while the other sailors just shook their heads, telling him they had no idea.

"I guess it's true when they say 'strange things happen at sea'." the third sailor said, but then the sailors jumped a little when they saw that the door to the pod started to open up, then something popped out of it and landed on top of the pod.

Upon a closer look, the sailors saw that it looked like a human wearing a blue jumpsuit along with some strange white and light pink armor, white boots, white gloves, the person's hair was short and spiky, and it kinda looked like a flame, only black, the person also had black eyes, there was also a blue eyepiece he was wearing over his left eye, and the sailors also saw that the mysterious person also had a monkey tail slowly waving behind him.

"Hey, who is that guy?" the first sailor asked silently.

"Hey buddy, do you need a lift?" the second sailor called out to the mysterious person who turned to them, then he nodded and flew up to the ship, taking the sailors by surprise as he landed next to them.

"Thank you very much." the person said while bowing to the sailors who were still shaking a bit.

"Wh-Wh-Who are you?" the third sailor asked the mysterious person.

"Sorry, I forgot my manners. My name is Tarble." the man now known as Tarble told the sailors.

"Tarble? That's quite a name you got there." the first sailor commented as they got over the shaking while the third sailor went back to the crows nest to keep a close watch.

"Excuse me again, but do you have anything to eat? I'm kinda hungry." Tarble said right before his stomach growled.

"Uh sure, there's a party going on inside the ship, we have plenty of food, go and grab something you like, but leave some for the other guests." the second sailor said while pointing his thumb at one of the doors on the ship.

"Thank you." Tarble said before he began to walk over to the door while two of the sailors began rolling the barrel they found earlier to their storage room.

Then suddenly, the third sailor looked through his telescope and he saw another ship coming their way, a pink ship with something on the sails, the sailor got scared and yelled out, "Pirate ship incoming!" that was enough to stop the other two sailors and Tarble stop in their tracks as they looked at the upcoming pirate ship.

"We're about to be attacked by pirates!?" the other two sailors yelled as they dropped the barrel.

"Pirates?" Tarble asked in confusion before the pirate ship shot a cannonball at the ship, hitting the water next to it, and making it shake again, then they fired another one, this time it hit the pod Tarble was in, smashing it to pieces as one piece of it landed in front of Tarble's feet as he suddenly yelled, "My Space Pod! Hey-" but he didn't get to finish as the barrel came rolling his way as he picked up the piece to his ship and jumped up, landing on top of the barrel and rolling away to the storage room of the ship, but then the barrel hit one of the doorways, causing Tarble to fall off, making him hit the wall, and knocking him out.

* * *

_Tarble's dream:_

_Tarble was now in some sort of strange place, only he was a little kid, and he was being thrashed by someone just like him, only a little taller and with black that looked more like a flame._

_"Come on Tarble, you're never gonna be a true Saiyan warrior like that! Get serious!" the kid yelled at Tarble who was trying to stand up._

_"I'm trying Big Brother, I'm trying!" little Tarble grunted as he got up and got ready to face Big Brother once again with a determined look on his face._

_End dream:_

* * *

Tarble was starting to wake up, and the first thing he saw was a kid with pink hair and glasses trying to roll the barrel from before out of the room they were currently in.

"Hey, what's he doing?" Tarble thought, but then his eyepiece suddenly beeped and then he saw the kid being surrounded by three guys dressed kinda odd as Tarble thought, "These must be the pirates that attacked this ship and destroyed my Space Pod."

"Hey coward, are you hiding out in a place like this again!?" the bigger looking pirate asked the pink haired kid who was shaking at the sight of the pirates.

"N-No, I wasn't hiding! I just thought I'd haul this big barrel over to you guys and to the other members of Lady Alvida's pirate crew!" the kid said really scared.

"Lady Alvida?" Tarble thought in confusion.

"Yeah? So what's in this barrel anyway?" the taller pirate asked as the bigger pirate lifted it up.

"Man it's heavy!" the bigger pirate grunted.

"Must be full of beer." the third pirate guessed, then he turned to the kid and said, "A good find indeed Coby."

The taller pirate started to chuckle, "Here, we'll lighten it up for you."

"I was just starting to feel thirsty anyway." the third pirate added as Tarble stood up on his feet again.

"You can't! Lady Alvida will kill us if she finds out about this!" Coby yelled with a panicked look on his face.

"She'll never know as long as you keep yer mouth shut, right Coby?" the taller pirate asked as Coby gulped and then bowed his head down in both defeat and fear.

"Y-Yes, you're right!" Coby said in fear.

"Now stand back, I'll bust this thing right open, then we can drink up." the bigger pirate said while cracking his knuckles, then he got ready to punch the barrel open, then suddenly Tarble's eyepiece started to beep again.

"Huh? Is there another pirate coming this way?" Tarble thought but his eyepiece picked up something coming from inside the barrel as he thought, "My Scouter is picking up something from in there? What could it be?"

Tarble got his answer as the bigger pirate was about to punch open the barrel, then the barrel suddenly broke open on its own and a loud voice yawned as the bigger pirate suddenly got punched and was knocked out instantly as everyone else turned to see that the barrel didn't have any alcohol inside, rather it was person with black hair, black eyes, a scar under his left eye that looked like it drawn there with a pencil, the person was wearing a sleeveless red vest, blue trousers, a pair of sandals, and a straw hat, then suddenly the mysterious person yelled out, "I SLEPT SO GREAT!"

"What, there was a person in that barrel!? No wonder my Scouter was picking up something in there!" Tarble thought in shock as the mysterious person began to look around.

"H-H-He just came out of the barrel! Who the hell is that guy?" the other two pirates were shaking and gaping before the tall one finally noticed Tarble as he asked, "And more importantly, who's that?"

"Is that a tail?" the other pirate asked as they looked at Tarble's tail as Tarble sighed and walked over to stand next to Coby.

The person in the straw hat turned to the pirates and asked, "Hey, who are you guys?"

"THAT'S WHAT WE WERE ABOUT TO ASK YOU AND THAT OTHER GUY!" the two pirates yelled at the same time.

"That guy's gonna catch a cold if he sleeps there, y'know." the straw hat guy said while pointing at the unconscious pirate on the floor.

"YOU DID THAT!" the two pirates yelled again before they pulled out their swords ready to slice up Tarble and the straw hat guy.

"Are you toying with us even when you know we're pirates!?" the taller pirate yelled but the straw hat guy turned to Tarble and Coby.

"Hey, do you guys know if they have any food?" the straw hat guy asked Tarble and Coby.

"Uh, I heard that there was a party going on in this ship, there should be food there." Tarble answered before he remembered that he was hungry too, this made the two pirates really angry.

"Listen when people are talking!" the two pirates yelled as they prepared to attack the guy in the straw hat and Tarble as they yelled, "You damn kids!" Coby shrieked in fear as the straw hat guy and Tarble turned around to see the two pirates up in the air, ready to slice them up as they yelled, "Die!" Coby shut his eyes in fear, but then he heard the sound of something snapping and something being smacked away hard as he opened his eyes to see the two pirates on their butts shaking in fear with the taller pirate's sword broken in half, and the other pirate's sword stuck to the ceiling, and the straw hat guy and Tarble were unharmed with Tarble's hand raised up like it smacked something up.

"What's the big idea?" the straw hat guy asked while Tarble put his hand down to cross his arms while he glared at the pirates.

"W-Who are you two?" the two pirates asked in fear.

"Me?" the straw hat guy and Tarble asked at the same time.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy." the guy known as Luffy introduced himself first.

"And I'm Tarble." Tarble answered as the two pirates just screamed and ran out with their unconscious friend.

"What the... What just happened?" Luffy asked in confusion as he stepped out of the barrel.

Coby got out of his shocked state and rushed over to Luffy and Tarble as he yelled out, "Run, hurry! If those two come back with their friends, you'll both be killed!"

Tarble suddenly pushed the button on his Scouter and scanned Coby first, then he scanned Luffy, once he was done, he said, "It might not be a bad idea to get you two out of here, but I'll stay behind and fight those pirates myself." but as soon as he said, his stomach growled again as he blushed with embarrassment.

"Sounds like you're hungry, so am I, let's go find some food." Luffy said taking Tarble's hand and began to drag him away to try and find food as Coby grabbed his other hand to stop him.

"How can you be so carefree!? Listen to this guy, there are still lots more of them up on deck!" Coby yelled still holding on to Luffy's arm as he kept trying to find food while dragging Tarble with him.

* * *

After searching around the ship, Luffy, Tarble, and Coby found themselves in a storage room filled with food.

"Oh yeah, jackpot! Yes! Food, food, food, food, food!" Luffy exclaimed happily as he looked at the boxes containing food while Tarble and Coby watched him.

"Actually, they might not find us in here." Coby said as he closed the door behind them as Luffy pulled a box out, opened it up to reveal a bunch of apples.

"Ooh, apples! Hey you in the strange clothing, I found some food!" Luffy called out to Tarble who just looked at him as Luffy began to eat the apples.

"Apples? Well, I guess it couldn't hurt to have just a little." Tarble said as he walked over to sit next to Luffy and he started to eat the apple as well, but then he turned to Coby and asked, "You're name's Coby, right?"

"Uh, y-yeah, that's my name." Coby replied, still a little baffled by Luffy and his attitude and antics, then he asked, "You're Luffy and Tarble, right? That was incredible what you two did earlier! How did you two do that!?"

"I don't know, I just did." Luffy answered while stuffing himself with apples.

"I've been traveling around, and studying Martial Arts, and a bunch of different fighting skills." Tarble answered while eating with Luffy.

"Hey, do you know if there are any boats on board?" Luffy asked Coby.

"I-I think so." Coby answered.

"Why do you ask?" Tarble asked.

"My ship got swallowed up by this giant whirlpool." Luffy said shocking only Coby.

"You mean that whirlpool!? No one could've survived that!" Coby exclaimed with his eye wide with surprise.

"Boy, was that a real surprise!" Luffy laughed while Tarble sweat dropped at how carefree Luffy was being as he continued to eat as Coby noticed Tarble's tail waving behind him, causing him to scream as Luffy stopped laughing.

"T-T-Tarble, w-w-what's that b-b-behind your back!?" Coby asked while shaking as he pointed at Tarble's tail as Tarble lifted it off the ground to look at it.

"What, this? You don't have to be afraid Coby, that's just my tail." Tarble answered shocking Coby even more while Luffy had sparkles in his eyes as he looked at Tarble's tail.

"Whoa, you have a tail!? That's so cool! Let me see!" Luffy yelled happily before he grabbed Tarble's tail as Tarble suddenly looked like he was in pain as he dropped the apple he was eating as Luffy said, "Wow, this is so cool." then he let go of Tarble's tail as Tarble suddenly fell on his back due to the sudden pain he was feeling.

"Tarble!" Coby cried in concern.

"Hey, what's the matter with you?" Luffy asked in confusion as Tarble sat back up and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, you grabbed my tail. I lose all of my power whenever someone does that, I can't stand it when someone does that." Tarble said before he continued eating.

"Oops, sorry, I didn't know." Luffy apologized before he went back to eating as well.

"Hey Coby, I've been meaning to ask, are you one of those pirates too?" Tarble asked talking about this Lady Alvida and her pirate crew.

"No, I'm not, I never wanted to be in a pirate crew. It was on that fateful day... That day, I got in a boat on the outskirts of town to go fishing... but it turned out the boat was actually heading for a pirate ship. It's been two years since that day... and, in exchange for letting me live, I've been forced to be a chore boy to the Alvida Pirates." Coby explained what he went through.

"So they let you live and you had to be their chore boy for two years?" Tarble asked as Coby just nodded his head.

"Man, you're stupid." Luffy said making Coby cry out tears.

"You're brutally honest." Coby muttered.

"Well, if you don't like it, you can always run away." Tarble said.

"I-I can't!" Coby shouted while shaking his head as he continued with, "No way! Just the thought of Lady Alvida finding me frightens me and makes me weak in the knees."

"So you're a wimp too? I can't stand people like you!" Luffy said with a silly grin on his face.

"You're right... If only I had the courage to drift around in the ocean in a barrel." Coby muttered sadly as Tarble decided to change the subject.

"Hey Luffy, what made you set out to the sea?" Tarble asked as Luffy smiled before he swallowed his food.

"I'm a pirate." Luffy answered, taking Tarble and Coby off guard.

"A pirate!?" Coby exclaimed in fear.

Luffy nodded, "Yep, I'm gonna gather up a pirate crew and get a ship so I can sail the Grand Line and make my dream come true."

"Grand Line?" Tarble asked in confusion.

"D-Dream?" Coby asked still shaking.

Luffy grinned, "Yeah, I'm the man who will be King of the Pirates!"

Coby couldn't take it anymore as he yelled, "You're crazy! There's no way you can stand at the apex of this Great Pirate Era! Going to the Grand Line is crazy, no it's suicide! It's also known as the Pirate Graveyard! If you're planning to be King of the Pirates, then that means you need to find the legendary treasure, the One Piece! That's impossible, even for someone like you! I don't know who you're gonna get to be a member of your-" Coby didn't finish as Luffy suddenly hit him on the head.

"Luffy, why did you hit him?" Tarble asked as Coby held his head in pain.

"'Cause I felt like it." Luffy answered.

"That's all right, I'm used to it." Coby said sadly.

"It's not about whether I can or not, I'm gonna do it because I want to." Luffy said standing up as he took his hat off to look at it while Tarble and Coby looked at him as he continued with, "I made a promise to a friend that I'd be the best pirate in the world. And because of that, I set out to fulfill my dream. If I die fighting for that, then I die, and that's just fine with me."

"A promise to a friend? That sounds like someone I know." Tarble thought with a smile as Luffy put his hat back on while Coby was in awe at what Luffy just said.

"There, now my belly's full. How about you?" Luffy asked Tarble, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm full too." Tarble said as he stood up.

"Hey, you never told us about yourself, other than your name is Tarble and you have a tail." Luffy pointed out.

"Did you set out to the sea as a pirate too?" Coby added.

"Actually, no. In fact, I just got to this planet." Tarble answered confusing Luffy and Coby.

"What do you mean? What are you, some kind of alien?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"In a way, yeah, I'm an alien, a Saiyan to be exact." Tarble answered.

"A Saiyan?" Coby asked in confusion.

"Yeah, I just arrived on this ship before the Alvida Pirates came. My Space Pod was outside in the water, but this Alvida and her crew kinda destroyed it, this is the only part of my ship that's left." Tarble explained while holding up the piece he was holding.

"Are you sure you're an alien? You look like a human to me." Luffy said.

"Yeah, I'm sure. The only thing different about Saiyans is that we have a good amount of strength, our hair is wild and usually black, and we have tails as soon as we're born, actually Saiyans take great pride in having their tails." Tarble explained, but then he said, "But if I'm stuck on this planet, I might as well ask one of the sailors on this ship for a boat."

"Hopefully they're nice enough to give us one." Luffy said as he began to walk over to the door while Tarble followed him, but then what Coby said stopped them.

"If I'm prepared to die for it, do you think I could join the marines?" Coby asked.

"Marines?" Luffy and Tarble asked at the same time.

"Yes! Catching bad guys is my dream, ever since I was little! Do you think I can do it!?" Coby said with excitement.

"How should I know?" Luffy asked.

"Sure, I guess." Tarble shrugged his shoulders.

"Yes, I'll do it! I'm not gonna be a chore boy anymore, I'll leave and then I'll catch that no-good Alvida!" Coby yelled, then Tarble's Scouter started to beep again.

"Coby!" the ceiling in the storage room suddenly broke and someone came falling down, when the smoke cleared, they saw that it was a fat ugly lady pirate holding a big iron club as she looked at Coby and yelled, "You're gonna team up with these two to catch who!? Huh Coby!?" Coby was suddenly shaking in fear.

"That must be the Alvida Coby was talking about." Tarble thought.

Alvida noticed Luffy and Tarble as she grinned evilly, "Well, it looks like neither one of you are not the Pirate Hunter, Zoro! They're just two scrawny brats!"

"Zoro?" Luffy and Tarble asked at the same time.

"Coby, who's the most beautiful of all on these seas!?" Alvida yelled getting Coby's attention as he was still trembling in fear.

"Oh, w-well... Give me a minute, uh..." Coby tried to get out, but then...

"Hey Coby, who's the ugly old biddy?" Luffy asked as everyone gasped at what Luffy just said.

"Uh, did he say something wrong?" Tarble asked having no idea why they gasped.

"This isn't good." one of the Alvida Pirates gulped loudly while many angry marks appeared on Alvida's face.

"YOU BRAT!" Alvida yelled swinging her club at Luffy and Tarble, but they both dodged it.

"Let's go!" Luffy yelled grabbing Coby before he and Tarble jumped onto the ship's deck.

* * *

When they got to the deck, a bunch of pirates charged towards Luffy and Tarble, but the two of them were easily pounding any pirates that were coming their way.

Tarble saw a pirate going after Luffy, so he gave the pirate a roundhouse kick to get him away from Luffy who turned to the Saiyan and said, "Nice one."

"Thanks." Tarble said before his Scouter beeped as he didn't have to look but he used his tail to smack away a pirate that tried to attack him from behind, then Tarble said, "It's never wise to try and attack a Saiyan from behind."

Then Luffy and Tarble looked behind them to see many more pirates behind them, then Luffy grabbed Tarble by part of his armor and began to run away as he yelled, "It's also not fair to gang up on two guys like us!"

"Luffy, what are you doing!?" Tarble yelled as Coby couldn't believe what he was seeing, but then Luffy grabbed the main mast and his arm started to stretch out, taking the Alvida Pirates, Coby, and Tarble by surprise as Luffy turned to the pirates with a grin as he said, "Got ya!"

Tarble knew what Luffy meant, so he shook off the shock he was feeling and got a punch ready when his fist started to glow with some purple aura surrounding it.

"**Gum-Gum...**" Luffy started, and then.

"**ROCKET!**" Luffy shot himself and Tarble towards the pirates, crashing into them and knocking them out like they were nothing while Tarble knocked some away with his glowing fist, soon the two of them stood on their feet while Luffy grinned and patted Tarble on the back.

Coby was in complete shock at what he just saw as he asked, "Luffy, Tarble... WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO!?"

"I told you before, I'm a Saiyan warrior, my kind can do stuff like this too." Tarble answered before they turned to Luffy who was giggling.

"I'm a Rubber Man." Luffy answered and he proved it by stretching the side of his mouth, that's when Alvida came crashing up.

"I see, so you've eaten one of the Devil Fruits." Alvida said in realization as Luffy let go of his mouth.

"Yep, I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit." Luffy said confusing Tarble.

"Devil Fruits?" Tarble asked himself in confusion.

"I see, I've heard rumors, but I guess they really do exist! You're both pretty skilled, are you bounty hunters?" Alvida asked Luffy and Tarble.

Luffy shook his head with a grin, then he said, "I'm a pirate."

"And I'm a Saiyan warrior." Tarble said more seriously.

"Pirate!? Ha! All by yourself!?" Alvida laughed at Luffy.

"I'm not alone, as of today, Tarble's a part of my pirate crew!" Luffy answered while wrapping an arm around Tarble's shoulders, taking the Saiyan by surprise.

"Uh, I am?" Tarble asked, but he was ignored.

"It's just us right now, but we'll find some more sooner or later. 20 crew members sound good to me, plus some more for the hell of it." Luffy grinned.

Alvida laughed again, "So you and your monkey friend are pirates too, eh!? Tell me, if we're not under the same flag, then that would make us enemies, right?"

"L-Luffy, T-Tarble, let's get out of here!" Coby pleaded to the two fighters.

"Why?' Luffy asked while letting Tarble go.

"You saw how powerful her cub is! In these waters, she's the most-" Coby stopped himself when he remembered what Luffy said in the storage room.

"I'm the most what? Let me hear it Coby!" Alvida yeled angrily.

"T-T-The most... THE MOST UGLY, CHUNKY OD HAG EVER!" Coby screamed causing the Alvida Pirates to gasp, but Coby didn't stop there as he yelled, "I'm leaving and gonna join the marines, and I'm gonna set out and catch your lazy ass Alvida!"

"You damn pipsqueak!" Alvida roared and tried to attack Coby with her club.

"I-I did it! No regrets! I fought for my dream! I may die, but I did it!" Coby thought, but then Tarble got in front of him and took the club hit, but that didn't seem to hurt him, he just turned to Coby.

"You did good Coby, you stood up for yourself." Tarble said with a smile while the others were just shock.

"What the... How can that not hurt you!?" Alvida asked in shock, but Tarble just turned his head, charged up purple energy in his left hand, then fired a blast that sent the iron club flying high and out of Alvida's hand.

"Good one Tarble!" Luffy commented as Tarble turned to him.

"Happy to help out... Captain." Tarble said looking like he was glad Luffy made him a member of his crew.

"Now it's my turn!" Luffy yelled as he pulled his fist back as it stretched out.

"**Gum-Gum Pistol!**" Luffy then threw his fist back fast like a pistol, and punched Alvida in the gut, sending her flying high in the sky and out of sight.

"Lady Alvida!" all the Alvida Pirates cried out with eyes bugging out.

Luffy and Tarble turned to the pirates as Luffy called out, "Hey, give Coby a small boat, he's going to join the marines!"

"Y-Yes sir!" the pirates quickly yelled as they got busy.

Tarble's Scouter started to beep again as he looked ahead and said, "Uh guys, I think we've got company."

Soon after he said that, more cannonballs landed in the water next to the ships, then Luffy, Tarble, and Coby saw that there were a couple of ships with the word 'Marines' on the sails as Coby exclaimed, "It's the marines!"

"Well, go ahead and ask them if you can join." Luffy said.

"Uh, I don't think they're here to listen. We'd better get out of here." Tarble suggested.

"Good idea." Coby agreed while shaking a little.

Soon the three of them got on a small boat, and as they landed in the water, Luffy could've sworn he looked straight into the eyes of a girl with short orange hair as she looked back before Luffy, Tarble, and Coby floated away.

* * *

Soon, Luffy, Tarble, and Coby were sailing away from the Alvida Pirates and the marines that blasted the cannons.

"Looks like we managed to get away." Coby sighed in relief.

"That was fun! we should do that again!" Luffy laughed then a thought occurred to Tarble.

"Hey Luffy, did you really mean what you told Alvida? About me being a member of your pirate crew?" Tarble asked the Rubber Man who stopped laughing.

"Yeah, I meant every word." Luffy answered.

"I don't understand, why did you include me as your crew member?" Tarble asked.

"You seem like a strong guy, I don't know anyone else who could pound pirates away with a glowing fist or blasting an iron club away. I want strong people to join my pirate crew, and you were indeed strong." Luffy explained.

"Uh, thanks Luffy, but I wasn't considered strong by my fellow Saiyans, in fact I was sent away from my planet at a young age for having such a low power level." Tarble said sadly.

"You mean Saiyans are stronger than you just now? You think you could tell us more about the Saiyans?" Coby asked.

"It's a bit of a dark past, are you sure you want to know?" Tarble asked seriously as Luffy and Coby nodded as Tarble began to explain, "Okay, it's like this, the Saiyans are not just aliens, we're a race of warriors who live to fight, they come from a planet called Planet Vegeta. The Saiyans go around to a bunch of different planets, and they wipe out all of the residents on the planet and sell them to other aliens. They send their strongest warriors to planets with high power level fighters, and they send in little Saiyan babies to planets with weak residents to wipe them out, even in their sleep. In other words, my race, the Saiyans, are nothing more than a bunch of space pirates."

Both Luffy and Coby looked shocked at what Tarble just told them about the Saiyans, but then Luffy suddenly exclaimed, "Awesome!"

"Didn't you hear what I just said!?" Tarble yelled.

"Hold on, if Saiyans kill people on their home planet and sell the planet... Tarble, are you hear to..." Coby began in fear.

Tarble just shook his head, "No Coby, I'm not. In fact, I was against the ways of my people, I never wanted to kill for their selfish desires, some of the Saiyan kids called me a disgrace to Saiyans everywhere. I had too kind of a heart to be like one of them, and I had a weak power level at the time, so I was banished from Planet Vegeta."

"So what did you do?" Luffy asked in excitement wanting to find out what happened.

"I've been traveling around to different planets and continued my training, with the help of some of the planets inhabitants, I wanted to prove that I can be a strong Saiyan. And during those years of training, I began to have a dream of my own." Tarble answered, then he turned to Luffy and asked, "Your dream is to become King of the Pirates, right?"

Luffy nodded happily, "That's right."

"Well, my dream is to become the strongest Saiyan ever, and to redeem the Saiyan name! And if I have to stay on this planet and be a pirate to reach my goal... Then so be it!" Tarble declared with a determined smile on his face.

"That's the spirit Tarble!" Luffy said as the two of them wrapped their arms around their shoulders and began to laugh while Coby smiled at them.

Tarble then remembered something and asked, "Hey, I was wondering, who is that Zoro guy that Alvida was talking about?"

"Yeah, what's he like?" Luffy added.

"Oh, you mean Roronoa Zoro?" Coby asked as Luffy and Tarble nodded their heads as Coby continued with, "He's an extremely strong bounty hunter, he's a powerful sword technique practitioner. I heard he not only kills his prey, but feeds their remains to the sharks and Sea Kings!"

"That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed with sparkles in his eyes.

"Uh Luffy, what are you thinking?" Tarble asked in confusion.

"This Zoro guy must be a good guy, he'll make a perfect crew member!" Luffy said catching Coby off guard.

Coby was caught off guard even more when Tarble agreed by saying, "Well, we'll just have to find out for ourselves."

"You two can't be serious!? He's a dangerous man, we should stay the hell away from him!" Coby yelled, but Luffy wasn't listening.

"It's decided then, we'll have him join up with us! So set sail!" Luffy declared with his fist in the air.

"Yeah!" Tarble agreed with his fist in the air as well.

"You're both nuts." Coby muttered in despair, but Luffy didn't listen as Tarble looked at Coby with a smile as he shook his head slowly as they sailed off to find the man known as Roronoa Zoro.

* * *

And so, Luffy set out at sea with his new friends, Tarble and Coby, to find Roronoa Zoro and recruit him as another member of his pirate crew. Where will they find Roronoa Zoro? Is he a friend, or a dangerous foe? Find out what happens as the adventure continues next time on The X-Pirates!


	3. The Pirate Hunter: Roronoa Zoro

Previously on The X-Pirates, Tarble landed on Earth and then his Space Pod got destroyed by a bunch of pirates called the Alvida Pirates. Later he met Coby, a boy who was force to be a chore boy for the Alvida Pirates for two years, and Monkey D. Luffy, a boy who want to become King of the Pirates. By working together, using Luffy's Gum-Gum Fruit powers and Tarble's powers, they were able to escape with Coby. Not only that, but Tarble agreed to become a member of Luffy's pirate crew to accomplish his own dream to be the strongest Saiyan ever and to redeem the Saiyan name. Now Luffy, Tarble, and Coby sail off into the unknown!

The Pirate Hunter: Roronoa Zoro

Out at sea in their little boat, Tarble was checking his Scouter for any oncoming power levels, just in case anymore pirates tried to catch them off guard, Luffy was sitting up on the figurehead and Coby held on to the sail.

"What a day, it's gorgeous!" Luffy called out before he breathed in the salty sea air as he stretched out.

"Hey Coby, are you sure we're going the right way?" Tarble asked while still keeping a look out.

"Yeah, if we continue on this heading, we should reach the Marine Base in no time at all." Coby answered, looking much happier than he did when he was the Alvida Pirates chore boy, but Luffy looked happier since Coby told them that the Marine Base they were going to was holding up a Pirate Hunter by the name of Roronoa Zoro.

"Wow Coby, you're great out here! You mean we're actually going to reach the place we originally set out for?" Luffy asked with excitement in his voice.

"Of course, it's nothing. I'm just using the skills that every sailor should have." Coby answered as Luffy laughed up on the figurehead.

"You're really excited about going there, aren't you?" Tarble asked as Luffy nodded and continued laughing.

"You know there's nothing to be so giddy about!" Coby scolded as Luffy and Tarble turned their attention to the pink haired boy who continued with, "Because at the Marine Base, they're holding the Great Pirate Hunter... Roronoa Zoro. This is the man who has diced up his bounties like an animal bent on carnage, a blood-thirsty beast! He's been called nothing less than a living, breathing demon in human form!"

"Demon?" Luffy and Tarble repeated as Luffy looked back to the sea using his straw hat to shield his eyes from the sun, looking for any signs of an island as Luffy exclaimed, "Sounds cool!"

"How could you think being a demon is cool?" Coby demanded fearfully.

"Well, I did meet a bunch of aliens during my travels before I came to this planet, so it shouldn't be a surprise to me that someone thinks being, let alone meeting, a demon would be cool." Tarble said as he went back to being look out.

"He's been known to brutally slaughter his victims before he drags them in to collect their bounties! Anyone who had been crazy enough to stand up to him had ended up cut to pieces!" Coby went on.

"Well, I'm looking for strong crew members, and it sounds like he's strong." Luffy said still looking ahead.

"Just what I heard." Coby gulped while Tarble thought of something.

"Hey Coby, why would this Zoro guy be in prison? If he hunts pirates, wouldn't the marines want him out there in the world hunting?" Tarble asked as Coby thought about it.

"Well, that's because... Ah... Well..." Coby tried, but then he yelled, "I don't know why, but I'm sure that the marines must've had a reason! Maybe he killed someone important or something! It doesn't matter, I think you two should just forget about it!"

Then Luffy spotted something ahead of them and yelled out, "ISLAND! WE'RE HERE!" he was unknowingly rocking the boat as Coby held on for dear life as did Tarble.

"What sort of mess did I get myself into?" Tarble thought as they kept sailing over to the island.

* * *

Soon they've reached the island and Luffy didn't wait for the rope to be tied to the docks as he jumped off the boat and landed on the island as Coby quickly tied the boat to the docks after Tarble secured the sail, and soon the three of them were looking at a nice quiet city, and towering all of the buildings in the distance was a big base with the word 'Marine' on it, it was the Marine Base that was supposedly holding Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro.

"Wow, it's so big!" Luffy said with sparkles in his eyes while Coby looked at the base with sparkles in his eyes as well.

"Well, we're here. This must be The Marine Base City." Tarble said while looking around and soon the three of them were walking down a crowded market.

"Luffy, I really don't think you should recruit him in your pirate crew, you should stick to recruiting guys like Tarble." Coby tried once again to convince Luffy not to recruit Zoro, but Luffy wasn't really paying attention since his eyes were glued on some food while Tarble couldn't help but look at the food himself.

"Well, I haven't made up my mind yet, I gotta see if he's a good guy." Luffy confessed.

"He's in prison because he's obviously not!" Coby yelled while he stopped walking.

"Hey, is that guy Zoro around here?" Luffy asked a man after buying himself a piece of fruit, but then everyone else around Luffy, Tarble, and Coby jumped back in fear.

"Luffy, I don't think we should mention his name around all of these people." Tarble whispered as Coby walked up to the two pirates.

"Let's head to the base and check it out." Luffy went on as if nothing even happened.

"Why do I bother?" Tarble sighed before he and Coby followed Luffy to the Marine Base.

"You wanna be a marine, right?" Luffy asked Coby.

"Well, of course I do Luffy, but I really don't think I'm ready yet." Coby answered timidly.

"How come?" Tarble asked.

"From what I've heard, the man in charge of this place is named Captain Morgan." Coby said as the villagers jumped back in fear again, taking Coby and Tarble by surprise.

"This town is such a weird place!" Luffy laughed as he kept walking.

"That's odd, from what you told me and Luffy about Zoro, I can understand why they would be scared of him, but why did they get scared again when you mentioned the name of the Marine Captain?" Tarble asked as they kept following Luffy.

"I don't know, I've got a bad feeling about this." Coby answered.

* * *

Soon Luffy, Tarble, and Coby have reached the gate of the Marine Base on top of the island.

"Take a look at this place." Luffy said while they stood in front of the gate.

"I made it. Well, Luffy, Tarble, it looks like this is goodbye, it was fun while it lasted." Coby said with tears in his eyes, but then Tarble was the only one noticing that his Scouter picked up something and walked off to find out what it was he was picking up.

"Well, you go on ahead and join, Tarble and I are gonna go find Zoro." Luffy said walking away as Coby turned to him while Tarble floated up the wall next to them.

"Wait a minute, there's no way that the marines would leave someone like Zoro out here in the open!" Coby yelled as Tarble was looking at what was on the other side of the wall.

"Hey guys, I see someone over there in the open!" Tarble called as Luffy used his Devil fruit powers to get up the wall next to Tarble while climbed up by using a ladder, they saw a guy tied to a pole.

Upon closer look, the person tied up looked like a 19 year old man in a plain white t-shirt with three undone buttons at the collar, black pants tucked inside black boots, there was also a green haramaki around his waist, plus there were three long earrings on his left ear, and he was also wearing a black bandana on his head, covering his eyes as well as his short green hair.

"Th-Th-That bandana, the haramaki, and the intimidating aura around him, that's gotta be... Roronoa Zoro!" Coby gasped in fear as he saw the man clearly known as Zoro.

"Hey, if I untie those ropes, he'll just walk away, right?" Luffy asked.

"I can cut him free, no problem." Tarble said.

"Don't be a couple of idiots! There's no telling what a bandit like him will do if you let him go! He might just kill the three of us!" Coby yelled at Luffy and Tarble.

"Don't worry, both me and Tarble are strong." Luffy said unconcerned.

"We can handle it." Tarble added before an unfamiliar voice broke them out of their conversation.

"Hey, you three!" they all turned to Zoro as Coby yelped in fear as Zoro just said, "You're an eyesore, get lost."

"Luffy, Tarble, trust me, there's no way you two will survive with someone like him on your crew! Even if he agrees to join your crew, he'll always be your enemy, your lives will be in danger!" Coby begged but Tarble saw that Luffy and Zoro were just looking at each other, then another ladder suddenly appeared out of nowhere and Coby, Tarble, and Luffy saw that a little girl was climbing up the ladder before she went over the wall and ran over to Zoro.

"Quick, Tarble, Luffy, you have to save her, he's gonna kill that little girl!" Coby yelled in concern for the girl.

"But what can he do all tied up?" Tarble asked in confusion as he turned back to the girl in front of Zoro and she looked like she was holding something in her hands.

"What do you want?" Zoro asked impatiently.

"I thought you might be getting hungry by now, so I made you a couple of rice balls." the girl said as she began to untie the package in her hands.

"You've got a death wish kid? Just scram." Zoro said bluntly as the girl held out a couple of rice balls up to him.

"But you haven't eaten anything the whole time you've been tied up. Here, I've never really made them before... but I did my best and I think they're fine." the little girl said still holding the rice balls up to Zoro.

"She really put a lot of work making those, they look pretty good." Tarble commented while looking at the rice balls himself.

"Who cares about that!? The girl's gonna get killed! Luffy, Tarble, do something!" Coby yelled, but he was ignored.

"Listen kid, I'm not hungry! Now stop irritating me and get out of here!" Zoro growled.

"But..." the girl started with a hurt expression.

"Do not make me kick your ass little girl!" Zoro yelled at the girl, then another voice rang out.

"Now now, no one likes a bully." everyone turned around to see a skinny looking young man with light blond hair shaped like an oval on top of his head walking towards Zoro and the little girl with a smug smile on his face as he tugged at the collar of his shirt, looking and acting like he owns the town.

"Roronoa Zoro, you seem to be handling this well, don't you agree?" the young man asked in a mocking tone as Zoro gave him and the marines behind him an angry look.

"Look, now there's another weird guy." Luffy said while he, Tarble, and Coby looked at the blond young man.

"That's great, he must be with the marines. Now we know that the girl will be safe." Coby said with a smile.

"Then why am I thinking differently?" Tarble asked while frowning at the blond guy who walked over to the little girl.

"Oh lookie, some tasty rice balls." the young man said taking one of the rice balls and began to munch on it.

"Hey, that's not for you!" the girl cried out, then the young man suddenly spat the rice ball out of his mouth before he threw the rest in his hand on the ground.

"Too sweet! they're packed with sugar! You're supposed to use salt you idiot, salt!" the young man yelled at the little girl.

"But I... I thought it would taste better sweet." the girl said while blinking when the young man suddenly smacked the other rice ball out her hands and stomped it into the ground, even when the girl begged him to stop.

"I knew it." Tarble whispered as he kept looking at the young man who stopped stomping on the rice ball with had dirt on it and a shoe print as the girl just sat there with tears in her eyes.

"But I... I worked so hard... to make those." the girl chocked out.

"Too bad." the young man sighed sounding like he didn't care, then he took a piece of paper out of his jacket as he said, "You must not have read the notice that was posted. 'Those who assist criminals in any way, will be executed. Signed, Captain Morgan.'"

The little girl became pale in the face while Tarble glared at the young man who asked cockily, "It seems even little brats fear my Daddy."

"His Daddy?" Luffy repeated.

"So that guy's Father is Captain Morgan?" Coby asked in astonishment.

The blond man turned to one of the marine soldiers and commanded, "You, toss this girl out right now!"

The soldier didn't look too happy as he said, "But Helmeppo sir, she's just a little girl!"

Then Helmeppo grabbed him by the shirt collar and yelled, "I said throw her over the wall soldier! Now, if you're not gonna follow my orders, I'll tell my Father!"

"Yes sir, I'll do it!" the soldier said, then he turned to the little girl, quietly apologized to her, picked her up gently, and then tossed her over the wall as she screamed, but then Tarble flew up and caught the girl in his arms as he gently floated back down to the ground.

"There, you're safe." Tarble told the little girl gently as Coby ran over to check for any injuries as Tarble floated back over next to Luffy to see what Helmeppo would do next.

Zoro growled at Helmeppo who laughed and asked, "You're just dead set on staying alive, aren't you?"

"That's right, I'm gonna make it through the month without any problems." Zoro snarled at Helmeppo who just laughed again.

"Right, good luck with that." Helmeppo sneered as he walked away with the soldiers following him.

"Only ten days left." Zoro called out.

"Oh, you still assume you'll make it to the end of those ten days." Helmeppo replied smugly as he and the soldiers left Zoro...

Well, not quite for Zoro looked up to see Luffy and Tarble looking at him in silence, then Luffy broke it by asking, "So, we hear you're a bad guy?"

"You two still here?" Zoro asked sounding bored.

"You're stuck out here for all the world to see and nothing to do." Tarble pointed out.

"Are you really that strong?" Luffy asked.

"Mind your own business you two!" Zoro snapped but Tarble just sighed as Luffy looked at Zoro carefully.

Then Luffy suddenly smiled, "If I were you, I'd probably starve to death in three days."

"It must be driving you crazy being tied up out here." Tarble added.

"I've got more spirit than you two could ever have, which is how I'm gonna survive this ordeal. This I swear." Zoro said giving Luffy and Tarble an evil smirk.

Luffy just shook his head, turned around and said, "What a weirdo, let's go Tarble." then he and Tarble started to walk away, until...

"Wait!" Zoro called out making them turn around to face him again.

"What is it?" Tarble asked as Zoro gazed at the muddy rice ball on the ground.

"Could you pick that up for me?" Zoro asked Luffy who, along with Tarble, looked surprised at the sudden request, but he picked it up off the ground anyway.

"You really want to eat this? 'Cause it's mostly a ball of mud now." Luffy told Zoro.

"I've eaten worse things during my space travels." Tarble said silently.

"Shut up and give it to me! NOW!" Zoro shouted impatiently as Luffy and Tarble looked surprised, but Luffy gave it to Zoro who put it in his mouth, and Zoro swallowed every bit of it, chocking on the mud and dirt that was in it.

"Should've listened to me." Luffy said with the grin on his face as Zoro pulled himself together.

"So, how was it?" Tarble asked in curiosity.

"It was good." Zoro said, taking Luffy and Tarble by surprise, but then Zoro said, "Thanks for the food." that caused both Luffy and Tarble to smile at the tied up man.

* * *

"Really?" the little girl from before asked happily, Luffy and Tarble were talking to Coby and the little girl, who they found out is named Rika, what happened while they were talking to Zoro.

Luffy nodded with a silly grin on his face, "That's right, he ate every last grain of rice there was."

"And he said thanks for the food." Tarble added.

"That's great." Rika said in relief while Coby was stunned by what Luffy and Tarble said about Zoro.

"I wonder if Zoro really is as evil as everyone thinks that he is. Still, everyone says he's a beast." Coby said softly.

"He's not!" Rika defended with an angry look on her face, but then she looked down and said, "He's good... because... he got himself punished... for us."

Tarble walked over to Rika, put a hand on her shoulder, and softly asked, "Can you tell us what happened before me and my friends got here?"

"Well, almost a month ago, that mean man had this very nasty looking dog and he took it with him everywhere just to terrorize the whole town. Then one day, he brought that dog of his to my Mom's restaurant and it started to scare all of the customers. I tried to get rid of it myself, but then it turned it's attention to me, I thought I was gonna die that day, but I was saved by that green haired man, he just killed it with one slash from his sword. But that mean man saw that as a crime, so he ordered the nice man to stay at their Marine Base for thirty days, otherwise he was gonna kill me and my Mom, so he accepted the offer." Rika explained shocking Luffy, Tarble, and Coby.

"That really happened three weeks ago?" Tarble asked as Rika nodded her head sadly.

"Helmeppo keeps punching and kicking him while he's being tied up. He's being so unfair! I don't know... I don't know how to help him." Rika said while crying a little as Tarble gently patted her on the back.

"I can see why you're upset." Coby whispered, then they heard crashing sounds coming from the building behind them as Rika's eyes widened a little before she ran inside.

"Rika, what's the matter?" Tarble asked before he, Luffy, and Coby ran after her into a nice looking restaurant, owned by a woman that looks like Rika who was looking fearfully at Helmeppo who sat down and put his feet up on the table, knocking over a bowl of fruit as he did.

"I'm hungry, bring us whatever you have and keep the check for yourself! And bring me a bottle of your finest moonshine or whatever kind of crap you serve! And put some speed to it lady, I don't have all day!" Helmeppo called as the woman fearfully got down to work.

Tarble was glaring at Helmeppo as he whispered, "It's him again."

Helmeppo just laughed as they poured him some wine before he said, "I've sure been thinking about something interesting to do since I've been bored out of my skull here. I've decided to execute Zoro tomorrow. Look forward to that everyone!"

"He's gonna WHAT!?" Tarble thought angrily as he stomped over to Helmeppo, but before he could do anything, Luffy suddenly gave Helmeppo a punch to the cheek, sending him flying across the restaurant and crashing into a wall as Tarble just turned to Luffy as he thought, "Luffy?"

"You... Did you just hit me!?" Helmeppo cried as he held his swollen cheek while sitting up as Luffy moved forward for another attack, but Tarble and Coby held him back.

"Luffy no, you can't hit him!" Coby cried trying to hold Luffy back.

"That guy's scum!" Luffy growled as everyone else in the restaurant turned to the scene that was going on, stunned that someone had the guts to hit the son of the Marine Captain.

"Now there's something we can agree on Luffy." Tarble agreed while glaring at Helmeppo who got to his feet.

"You actually hit me!" Helmeppo yelled, but then he got blasted in the face by Tarble's energy blast, it wasn't strong enough to kill him.

"That's for going back on your promise to Roronoa Zoro!" Tarble growled angrily as Coby tried to hold the Saiyan back along with the Rubber Teen.

Helmeppo got back up with his face a little dirty from the blast as he yelled like a little kid, "How dare you two hit me!? I'm Captain Morgan's son you know!"

"Yeah, like I care!" Luffy yelled angrily as he tried to get closer.

"You and your friend will care after he executes you both for this!" Helmeppo shouted angrily with his eyes filled with tears.

"Your Father's not gonna be around forever, it's time for you to learn how to fight and defend yourself instead of hiding behind your soldiers!" Tarble growled angrily while Coby kept trying to hold Tarble and Luffy back.

"Luffy, Tarble, just ease off some. Why are you trying to get on the marine's bad side?" Coby said, but then Luffy stopped all of a sudden as Tarble turned to his straw hat friend.

"What is it Luffy?" Tarble asked in confusion.

"I've made up my mind! Today, Zoro will join my crew!" Luffy said with his eyes burning with determination.

"Right, I gotcha." Tarble nodded with a determined look of his own.

* * *

After the whole scene in the restaurant, Helmeppo scurried back to the Marine Base. After that, Luffy and Tarble ran back their themselves to save Zoro, and soon the two of them back it back to where Zoro was tied up, and they saw that he was asleep as Luffy and Tarble jumped over with Luffy standing right in front of Zoro who woke up and saw them both.

"You again, don't you and your monkey friend there have things to do?" Zoro asked in annoyance after noticing Tarble's tail.

"I'll untie you, but only if you promise to join my crew." Luffy said bluntly as Zoro blinked at him.

"Your what?" Zoro asked, wanting to make sure he heard Luffy right.

"I run a pirate crew, I'm looking for people to join up, so far Tarble's the only guy in my pirate crew other than myself." Luffy said walking closer while pointing at Tarble who just smiled and waved.

"No way." Zoro said coldly making Luffy stop as Zoro continued with, "I'd never stoop to joining a couple of criminals, screw that business."

"What's wrong with being a pirate?" Tarble asked in confusion while Luffy waited for Zoro's answer.

"They're despicable, like I'd ever want to join up with a couple of pirates." Zoro replied honestly.

"Come on, give us a break." Tarble said while crossing his arms.

"Everyone already knows you as some vicious bounty hunter who's already out for blood." Luffy added while Tarble nodded in agreement.

"People can say whatever they want about me, but there isn't a single thing I've done in my life that I regret." Zoro said firmly, then a twisted smile appeared on his face as he said, "I will make it through this challenge, after that I'll accomplish what I want."

"Yeah, that's great." Luffy muttered slowly with his arms crossed as he turned around, then he said, "But I've already decided that you're gonna be on my crew!"

"What!? You can't do that!" Zoro yelled, looking very irritated.

"Luffy can be random sometimes." Tarble thought while shaking his head slowly as Luffy turned to Zoro again.

"I hear you're one of the best swordsmen around?" Luffy suddenly asked as Zoro cooled off just a little.

"Well, I am, but that idiot captain's son took mine away." Zoro said.

"I see... Guess I'll just go and get it back for you." Luffy offered with a smirk.

"What?" Zoro asked, not believing what he was hearing.

"So if you want your sword, you're just gonna have to join my crew." Luffy said, really making Zoro angry.

"That's a dirty trick, you bastard!" Zoro yelled, then he turned to Tarble and yelled, "Hey, are you just gonna stand there and listen to this guy talk to me like this!?"

Tarble just shrugged and said, "Don't mind me, it's his choice."

"You two are really pissing me off right now!" Zoro yelled angrily looking like he wanted to beat up Luffy and Tarble.

"I'll be right back, Tarble you stay here with him while I go get his sword." Luffy said before he ran to the right.

"Aye-Aye, Captain!" Tarble saluted Luffy while Zoro just watched Luffy run away.

"He's serious, isn't he?" Zoro asked himself in disbelief, then he suddenly yelled to Luffy, "Hey genius, the base is in the other direction!"

"Oh right!" Luffy said as Zoro sighed in annoyance, but then Luffy stretched his arms in the different direction to the base, catching Zoro off guard as he saw Luffy stretch over to the Marine Base with his eyes and mouth wide open.

"You might want to close your mouth. You don't want bugs to nest in there, do you?" Zoro shook his head and turned his attention back to Tarble who was now standing in front of him with a smile on his face.

"You're seriously just gonna stand here while your friend goes off into the base?" Zoro asked dully.

Tarble just shrugged again, "I'm just doing what Luffy wanted me to do."

"You and your friend are really strange, I'm telling ya." Zoro said.

"Yeah, Luffy can be a bit odd, he was like that when I first met him. In fact, he's one of the first friends I've made on this planet." Tarble said, confusing Zoro.

"This planet? What the hell are you going on about monkey boy?" Zoro asked.

"I'm saying I'm from a planet called Planet Vegeta, I'm a Saiyan." Tarble answered.

"Really, a Saiyan? Do all Saiyans have tails like yours?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah, plus strong power levels." Tarble said surprising Zoro, but Tarble continued with a sad look, "But not me, I was considered a disgrace because I had a weak power level and I didn't have the same killer instinct like most Saiyans, and because of that I was banished from Planet Vegeta when I was young."

"Are you sure about that? 'Cause you kinda look strong to me." Zoro said looking at Tarble carefully as the two of them completely ignored the crashing sound coming from the Marine Base.

"That's what Luffy said when we first met while we were battling a bunch of pirates, just the two of us, and while talking to this pirate captain named Alvida, Luffy suddenly made me a member of his pirate crew. So you're not the first guy he just puts on his pirate crew." Tarble answered as Zoro just shook his head.

"So, he pulled the same stunt on you, and you just went along with it?" Zoro asked with a raised eyebrow.

Tarble shrugged, "I just got to this planet at the time, and my Space Pod got destroyed, so I didn't know what else to do, so I became a member of Luffy's pirate crew." then Tarble suddenly came closer to try and untie the rope.

"Hey, what are you doing!? Cut it out, I just need to wait a few more days, then I'll be free!" Zoro yelled but Tarble just kept working on the rope.

"Actually, the Marine Captain's son plans to execute you tomorrow." both Tarble and Zoro turned to see Coby running towards them.

"What!? That can't be right!" Zoro yelled in disbelief.

"Listen to Coby, he's telling you the truth!" Tarble said surprising Zoro as Coby worked on the other side of the poll.

"That jerk, Helmeppo never attended to keep his end of your deal, so he's gonna execute you tomorrow! Luffy and Tarble were so mad at him for making that decision, they even hit him themselves for you." Coby added as Zoro was shocked at what he was hearing as he silently turned to Tarble, but then suddenly he heard Coby scream in fear as both he and Tarble turned to see a bunch of marine soldiers with rifles in their hands and a man with a giant ax for a right arm.

"I see we got us a couple of trespassers, and they're trying to help a prisoner. And all should know that anyone who goes against me, Captain Ax-Hand Morgan, is considered an enemy, and will be executed on the spot!" the tall man known as Captain Morgan yelled, then he told his soldiers, "Men, fire at all three of them!"

All of the soldiers got their rifles ready to fire at Coby, Tarble, and Zoro.

"No, I can't die here, not now!' Zoro thought as he looked at the rifles.

"Men, FIRE!" Captain Morgan shouted as Tarble quickly ran in front of Zoro and Coby, just as the soldiers fired their rifles, just then Luffy came out of nowhere with three different sword on his back and took the bullets for Zoro and Coby who were stunned by what they saw, then one bullet hit Tarble on the head, causing him to land on his back.

"LUFFY, TARBLE, NO!" Coby shouted with tears in his eyes, but Luffy was just smiling as his body just stretched and Tarble quickly stood on his feet again with his hands on his forehead and he and Zoro were stunned by what was happening to Luffy as well.

"See ya!" Luffy yelled as he stretched his arms up and all the bullets bounced off his body, firing them back at the marines and missing them as Luffy just laughed and yelled, "That won't work on me, I'm too strong!"

"Those things won't work on me either! Even though that did sting a little." Tarble muttered the last part to himself as Zoro just looked at Luffy and Tarble with a stunned look on his face.

"Bullets don't work on either one of you? Hey, just who the hell are you two!?" Zoro demanded to know as Luffy and Tarble turned to him with their own smiles.

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" Luffy answered with a thumbs-up.

"I'm Tarble, and I'm gonna be the strongest Saiyan ever and I'll redeem the Saiyan name!" Tarble said while his tail waved slowly behind him while Zoro was just too stunned for words.

"You're gonna be King of the Pirates and the strongest Saiyan ever!? Right, you two must be out of your minds! Do either one of you have any idea what they even mean!?" Zoro demanded finally finding his voice again.

"King of the Pirates means King of the Pirates. How can it mean anything other than that?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"To be the strongest Saiyan alive means I have to push my body passed it's limits, to change the Saiyan name for the better!" Tarble answered seriously.

"Yeah, when Luffy first told me, it was shocking, but he's completely serious, Tarble's the same way! That's how they both are I guess. 'Cause they both actually seem to have every intention of becoming King of the Pirates and the strongest Saiyan ever! And together, they can obtain the world's ultimate treasure, the One Piece!" Coby explained with a smile as Luffy and Tarble walked over to Zoro.

"Here's what I promised you. There's three. I didn't know which one was yours, so I took all three of them." Luffy said while holding the swords out to Zoro.

"All of them belong to me, I use Santoryu, the three-sword style." Zoro said while struggling to get out of his binds.

Luffy grinned, "Take them already. Just know that if you fight with me and Tarble now, you'll be a government defying villain."

"So it's either that, or you'll be left out here to be executed by the marines." Tarble added.

Zoro grinned himself, "What are you two? Sons of a devil? It doesn't matter, 'cause if I don't choose your side, I'll just end up dead on these sticks." then his eyes narrowed as he finished with, "So let's do this!"

"So you're finally gonna join my crew! This is the best thing ever!" Luffy cheered as he danced around completely forgetting to free Zoro.

"Would you quit celebrating already and cut these ropes off me!?" Zoro yelled in irritation.

"Let me." Tarble offered as he took the swords from Luffy who was still cheering as he concentrated his energy to one of his fingers as he held up some rope with his other hand to use energy to free Zoro, while he was doing it, he heard Captain Ax-Hand Morgan explain what Devil Fruits are.

"Devil Fruits, said to be the incarnation of the Sea Devils themselves. Some give you the ability to breath fire, while others can give you the ability to control tsunamis. However, there's a price to eating a Devil fruit, those who consume a Devil Fruit will be hated by the sea and your ability to swim will be taken away." Captain Morgan explained to his men.

"Now I know to keep myself from eating a Devil Fruit." Tarble thought as he kept cutting Zoro free.

"Hey, how are you doing that!?" Zoro yelled stunned that Tarble was using an energy blade to set him free.

"I'm just concentrating the energy in my body to help you out of these!" Tarble answered right away.

"Men, take all four of them down!" Captain Morgan yelled as all the marine soldiers moved in for the kill just as Tarble cut the last of the rope tying Zoro up.

"Okay, you're free!" Tarble yelled as some soldiers got swords out ready to strike Luffy while Coby screamed in fear.

"I'll take those!" Zoro yelled quickly taking the swords away from Tarble and used all three of them to block the marines, with one sword in his mouth.

"Roronoa Zoro!" Captain Morgan gasped.

"Whoa." Tarble whispered in awe.

"That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed.

"One move, and you die." Zoro warned the marines who were frozen with fear, then he turned to Luffy and Tarble and said, "Today, I officially become a criminal, having fought the marines. So I will become a pirate... that I can promise you two." then he narrowed his eyes while looking at Luffy as he said, "But I want you to know one thing! While I'm with you and your Saiyan friend, the only thing I dedicate myself to is fullfilling my own ambitions!"

"Your own ambitions?" Tarble askedwith interest.

"Which is?" Luffy asked just as interested.

"To be nothing less then the world's greatest swordsman! If somewhere along the way I have to give that up, then I want you to accept full responsibility. After which you get to apologize to me at the end of a sword." Zoro told Luffy that kinda made Tarble remind him of some Saiyans he knew in the past, so he frowned.

Luffy just grinned, "The world's greatest swordaman eh? Sounds pretty good, like Tarble's goal. The King of the Pirates wouldn't have anything less than the best on his crew."

Zoro smiled back, "Big talker. From this point on, criminal or not, I will spread the name Zoro throughout the world!"

"That's the ticket!" Tarble agreed getting into fighting position.

"What are you all just standing around for!? Kill them all!" Captain Morgan yelled at the soldiers who were a bit scared, but they charged forward anyway.

"Zoro, Tarble, duck!" Luffy yelled with a leg raised up as Tarble grabbed Zoro's arm and jumped up high just before Luffy's leg stretched out as he yelled, "**Gum-Gum... WHIP!**" and kicked the soldiers away with his stretched out leg as Tarble and Zoro landed on the ground, then some more soldiers came charging towards them.

"These guys are mine." Tarble said as he gathered purple energy in his left hand, then he aimed at the marine soldiers and fired it at them, sending them flying back over to their captain.

"A Rubber Man and some guy who can fire energy from his hands!? Captain, we don't stand a chance!" one of the soldiers cried fearfully.

"Just look at them, they're insane!" another soldier cried.

"This is a direct order! Every marine who sprouted weakness, pull your guns out and shoot yourselves!" Captain Morgan ordered angrily catching the soldiers off guard as he continued with, "I can't do anything with weak soldiers!" then he suddenly got punched in the face and was skidding back a couple of feet before he yelled, "What the hell!? Who did that!?" then he looked to see that the person who punched him was Tarble who had an angry look on his face.

"Is this any way for a leader to behave around his followers!? You're supposed to set a good example so they can respect you as a leader, not scare them to the point of killing themselves on your orders!" Tarble growled angrily before Luffy walked over to stand next to him.

"Not only that, but you've crushed Coby's dream of joining the marines! Which is why me and Tarble will kick your ass!" Luffy growled, but then.

"Not so fast!" Luffy and Tarble turned to see Helmeppo pointing a gun at Coby with a shaking hand as he yelled, "If you value your little friend's life, then don't move! One move and I'll shoot!"

"Bad move." Tarble said silently before he suddenly disappeared from human sight just as Captain Morgan got back up with his ax-hand raised up high to strike Luffy down.

"Hey, where did that monkey man go?" Helmeppo asked while looking for Tarble.

"LUFFY, LOOK OUT!" Coby yelled, but then Captain Morgan was slashed three times by Zoro and his swords just as Tarble reappeared behind Helmeppo and knocked him out with just a chop to the neck, catching the soldiers off guard just as Morgan and Helmeppo landed on their backs.

"Thanks guys." Luffy smiled at Tarble and Zoro who smiled back at their captain.

"No problem Luffy." Tarble said happily.

"Just doing my job, Captain." Zoro answered, then suddenly the soldiers started to cheer at the fall of Captain Ax-Hand Morgan and his son Helmeppo, confusing Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, and Coby.

"I guess they've feared Ax-Hand Morgan for a long time if they're cheering like this." Zoro guessed.

"If that's how Morgan acts as a Marine Captain, I can't blame them." Tarble agreed, but then Zoro suddenly dropped his swords and fell to the ground.

"ZORO!" Luffy and Tarble cried in concern, Coby was also concerned but he was being quiet about it.

* * *

It turns out that Zoro just passed out from hunger, so Luffy, Tarble, and Coby took him to Rika's Mother's restaurant, and the four of them were fed very well by Rika's Mother.

"I haven't eaten a good meal for three weeks! 10 helpings are enough for me!" Zoro exclaimed happily while patting his full stomach.

"Only 10?" Luffy asked after finishing his 15th plate.

Zoro chuckled, "Funny, you're hungrier than me." then he and Luffy looked at Tarble who just finished his 30th plate of food as Zoro chuckled again as he said, "And he's hungrier than both of us."

"Eat as much as you want." Rika's Mother said.

"Thanks for feeding me with them." Coby said politely.

"It's no problem, you helped them out as well." Rika's Mother said.

"You two are really strong!" Rika commented Luffy and Tarble, then she asked, "So where are you going next?"

"We're heading for the Grand Line." Luffy answered shocking Rika's Mother and Coby.

"Luffy, stop saying this so carelessly!" Coby yelled.

"It won't be easy, you told me and Luffy that the Grand Line is a dangerous place to sail on, right? And because of that, it's also known as the Pirate Graveyard, correct?" Tarble asked also explaining it for Coby.

"That's right, pirates go in, but only a few come back alive!" Coby cried in fear.

"Well, the One Piece is at the Grand Line, so I have to go there if I'm ever gonna be King of the Pirates." Luffy grinned.

"Why are you worried anyway? You're not coming with us." Zoro told Coby.

"Well, I can still worry about you guys, right?" Coby asked, then he turned to Luffy and Tarble and said, "Luffy, Tarble, even though we just met, we're still friends!"

"Yep!" Luffy grinned.

"Even though we're pirates and you're gonna be a marine, we'll always be friends Coby." Tarble smiled, bringing tears to Coby's eyes.

"You know, I never had friends growing up. Every time I would get picked on, no one even stood up for me. But everyone here taught me to live by my dream!" Coby said feeling grateful for Luffy and Tarble's kindness.

"I know you're grateful and all, but you should be more careful." Zoro said seriously as Coby turned to him as Zoro continued with, "You were a chore boy to Alvida, right? Even though you were just doing chores on a pirate ship, you're still a small-time pirate to their eyes. Don't underestimate the marines' ability to gather information, if they know your past, they won't let you join for sure."

Just then one of the marine soldiers came in and asked, "So, you're a pirate crew, right?"

Luffy stood up and answered, "That's right, I'm the captain."

"Then we'll ask you to leave now. This island has a Marine Base and we can't host pirates. We appreciate you getting rid of Ax-Hand Morgan, saving our base and our town, and because of that we won't report you as long as you leave now." the marine soldier said, despite the protesters behind him.

Luffy, Tarble, and Zoro shrugged as Luffy said, "Well, I guess we should go."

"Yeah." Zoro agreed.

"Come on guys." Tarble said as he, Luffy, and Zoro exited the restaurant, leaving Coby behind to deal with the soldiers.

* * *

Back at the docks, Luffy, Tarble, and Zoro got back to their little boat.

"Hey, was it really a good idea to leave Coby behind to deal with the marines by himself?" Tarble asked.

"Coby should be able to handle the rest on his own. I have faith in him." Luffy answered.

"Yeah, you're right, I have faith in him too. He'll make a great marine." Tarble agreed.

"It's a fitting way to leave this place, unable to turn back seeing how everyone here hates us now. Very pirate like..." Zoro said as he and Luffy climbed into the boat.

"Yeah, it sure is." Luffy laughed as Tarble quickly untied the rope and got on the boat himself, then he pulled the sail down as the three of them started to sail away, then they heard someone call to them.

"LUFFY, TARBLE!" the three pirates turned to see Coby, Rika, and her Mother standing on the docks, Coby was saluting Luffy, Tarble, and Zoro as he yelled, "I can never thank you two enough! You've done more for me than anyone ever has!"

"I've never heard of a marine thanking a couple of pirates before, now there's one for the history books!" Zoro laughed while Luffy grinned and Tarble smiled.

"We'll meet again Coby! Someday!" Luffy and Tarble waved at their friend.

"Bye, I hope we meet again someday!" Rika called out while waving back.

"Hey look!" Tarble said as they turned to see more marine soldiers saluting them like Coby was doing.

"See ya!" Luffy called as Tarble waved again until they couldn't see the island or their friends anymore.

"I've got the feeling some interesting adventures are waiting for us." Zoro said calmly as they kept sailing.

Luffy laughed, "And I'll be King of the Pirates, I know it!"

"And me? I'll be the strongest Saiyan ever and I'll redeem the Saiyan name, no doubt about it!" Tarble said with a determined smile on his face as they kept sailing off to the Grand Line.

* * *

What a day it has been, not only did Luffy and Tarble help their friend, Coby, become a marine soldier, but they've also made a new crew mate and friend in Zoro, who aims to be the world's greatest swordsman. Now Luffy, Tarble, and Zoro sail off to the next town, who will they meet along the way? What sort of dangers will they face? Find out what happens next time on The X-Pirates!


	4. A Promise Between Friends

Last time on The X-Pirates, Luffy, Tarble, and Coby have finally made it to the Marine Base that was keeping Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro. Soon, they found out that Zoro was there because of an agreement from Helmeppo to be tied up for a whole month, an agreement Helmeppo didn't intend to keep at all since he decided to execute Zoro earlier than expected. Outraged, Luffy and Tarble raced back to save Zoro and defeat Helmeppo and his Father, Captain Ax-Hand Morgan. Later, Zoro joined Luffy's pirate crew to achieve his dream of being the world's greatest swordsman, and after leaving Coby behind so he can become a marine soldier, Luffy, Tarble, and Zoro sail off to fulfill their dreams.

A Promise Between Friends

As Luffy, Tarble, and Zoro kept sailing, Zoro kept his eyes on Luffy as if trying to figure him out.

"You know, you seem more than a little obsessed about becoming King of the Pirates. Is there any kind of story behind it or any kind of reason at all?" Zoro asked as Luffy and Tarble turned to him.

"No reason, it's just..." Luffy started.

"It's just what Luffy?" Tarble asked in confusion.

"I promised someone... a while back." Luffy confessed with a hand on his hat and Tarble thought he saw Luffy's eyes becoming a little glassy for a moment as Luffy continued with, "I swore that I would gather a crew, find the world's greatest treasure, and become King of the Pirates..." then Luffy thought back to the friend he promised.

* * *

_Luffy's flashback:_

_Luffy was just a kid as he sat down in a bar with a pirate crew, the captain of the crew had three scars across his left eye, red hair, and he was also wearing the same straw hat Luffy wore as the captain was sitting next to Luffy with other members of the crew sitting in different tables, looking like they had a party._

_"I'm telling ya, the best thing about being a pirate is that you can do whatever you want, whenever you want." the red haired pirate told Luffy who's eyes lit up with excitement._

_"Take me with you on your next adventure Shanks! I want to be a pirate too!" Luffy said with excitement._

_The pirate now known as Shanks just laughed out loud, "How can a boy like you become a pirate?"_

_"Why not?" Luffy demanded._

_"Luffy." both Luffy and Shanks turned to the voice, it turned out to be a man leaning back in his chair with his feet on the table. The man had sandy blond hair that fell over his face, skin that was tan and sea worn, and he was also wearing a blue bandana on his forehead with the word 'Yasopp' written on it as the man probably known as Yasopp continued with, "Listen, it's not about how well you can or can't swim. A pirate is a lot more than that."_

_"But I can fight! My punches are as strong as pistols!" Luffy said while punching the air in front of him._

_"A pistol? Wow... really?" Shanks asked before he went back to the food he was currently eating while the other pirates started to laugh._

_"STOP LAUGHING AT ME!" Luffy shouted angrily._

_"You're still just a kid." another pirate said._

_"You're about the same age as my kid." Yasopp added._

_"I'm not a kid, I'm a grown up!" Luffy yelled as he gritted his teeth together._

_"Really? Cause you look like a kid to me." another pirate smirked, this one had smooth short black hair, black eyes, an 'x' shaped scar on his left cheek, he was dressed in some black and green armor with green shoulder straps, black pants, red bands on his wrists and ankles, and he also had a tail waving behind him slowly._ (A/N: Ta-Da! This is the Saiyan I made in Xenoverse, his name will be revealed soon.)

_"I am not a kid!" Luffy yelled angrily._

_"Relax, it's nothing to be mad about. Here, have some juice." Shanks said placing a glass of juice in front of Luffy who's anger went away in an instant._

_"Oh, thanks!" Luffy said as he began to drink the juice, but the resulted in Shanks and his crew laughing at him again._

_"See? You are a kid! What kind of pirate likes juice?" Shanks laughed._

_"That was a dirty trick! Stop laughing at me!" Luffy yelled angrily._

_"Sorry, that's just how Captain Shanks is sometimes!" the tailed pirate laughed._

_"Luffy, how about you calm down and eat?" Luffy turned to the barkeeper, who was a young woman with dark green hair that fell to her shoulders tucked underneath a bandana who placed a bottle in front of Shanks before she looked at Luffy kindly and asked, "How about it?"_

_"Sure thing Makino! Just put it on my treasure tab." Luffy said._

_"What treasure? You shouldn't lie you know." Shanks told Luffy._

_"I am not!" Luffy yelled in determination, then he turned to Makino and said, "I'm definitely gonna be a pirate one day! And when I come across a lot of treasure, I'll come back and pay you with that!"_

_Makino smiled and laughed, "I'll look forward to it."_

_The tailed pirate chuckled a little as he saw Luffy eat up before he said to himself, "The kid's set on becoming a pirate, I can tell."_

_"Hey Shanks." Luffy said with his mouth full as Shanks turned to him before Luffy asked him, "How long are you gonna stay this time?"_

_"Well..." Shanks thought about it for a bit, then he said, "It's been real nice here, but we decided that we'll probably set sail a couple more times, then we'll leave this town for good and head back north."_

_"Only a few more times." Luffy said softly as Makino gave the boy a sad smile before she sighed, then Luffy looked at Shanks and said, "I'll be a great swimmer by then!"_

_Shanks laughed again, "Sure... we'll see about that."_

_The tailed pirate's face suddenly turned serious as he turned to the door, Yasopp saw this and asked, "What is it Ryoma?"_

_"I believe we've got company." the tailed pirate, now known as Ryoma, said before the door was kicked open revealing a bunch of men dressed alike with smug smiles on their faces._

_"Sorry for the interruption." the man in front said as Luffy turned to them in confusion while Makino tensed up for some reason as the man came inside, looked at all the pirates, and continued with, "So these are the pirates I've heard so much about. They all look like idiots to me."_

_"Welcome, what can I do for you?" Makino asked the man politely._

_"We're bandits. We're not here to destroy your bar, we just need about ten barrels of sake." the head bandit smirked at her._

_"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we're all out of sake at the moment." Makino answered politely._

_The head bandit raised an eyebrow as he looked around before he said, "Strange, these pirates seem to be enjoying themselves. What are they even drinking, water?"_

_"It's sake, but it's also the last of our stock." Makino answered._

_"Oh sorry, looks like we drank the place dry. But if you want, there's still a bottle left that's unopened. If you want it, it's all yours." Shanks said while holding the bottle up to the bandit who's eyes suddenly darkened before he shattered the bottle, splashing the drink all over Shanks and the bar as Makino and Luffy gasped but the bandits just laughed while the pirates turned to Shanks who's eyes were covered by his hat._

_"Do you even know who you're talking to? I'm a bandit, a wanted man who's worth eight million berries. One bottle won't be nearly enough, don't take me lightly." the bandit said coldly as Shanks just looked up._

_"Now the floor's all wet, sorry about that Makino." Shanks apologized before he knelt down and started to pick up shards of glass from off the floor as he asked, "Do you have a mop?"_

_"O-Oh no, it's fine captain, I can manage it." Makino said before she left to find a mop to clean up the mess._

_But as soon as she left, the bandit drew his sword and then he slashed it along the bar, cutting it up and sending pretty much everything crashing to the floor making an even bigger mess before he sneered, "Well, if you enjoy cleaning, now there's more to clean." then he put his sword away before he said, "No point wasting our time here while there's no sake. Let's go men!" the bandits began to exit the bar, but the head bandit turned back and said, "Later cowards!" and the bandits left while laughing._

_Makino came back and kneeled down next to Shanks and began to ask him, "Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?"_

_I'm fine, it's no problem." Shanks reassured her, then he and his crew broke down into more laughter._

_"They really got you! That's funny!" Yasopp laughed._

_You look pretty dumb on the floor, Captain!" another pirate laughed as Ryoma walked over to stand next to Shanks._

_"Just another fine for you, isn't it Captain Shanks?" Ryoma chuckled as he slapped Shanks on the back as the pirates kept laughing, but Luffy watched before he jumped up on his seat, looking really angry with his fists shaking._

_"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING!?" Luffy shouted as the pirates turned to him as he continued with, "THAT WASN'T COOL! WHY DIDN'T YOU FIGHT BACK!? NO MATTER HOW MANY THERE ARE OR HOW STRONG THEY LOOK, IF YOU DON'T FIGHT BACK THEN YOU'RE NOT A MAN! NOW I SEE THAT I WAS WRONG ABOUT YOU GUYS!"_

_"I know how you feel Luffy, but all he did was spill some sake on me." Shanks calmly said._

_"Yeah, that's all that happened, it's not worth getting upset over." Ryoma calmly added._

_"Whatever." Luffy huffed, sitting back down, then he saw a chest next to him, inside he saw that it was some unusual purple fruit, so he grabbed it and took a big bite out of it._

_Shanks was wiping off his hat as he and Ryoma saw Luffy eating the fruit he grabbed as Shanks said, "You shouldn't eat out of frustration you know."_

_"Shut up." Luffy said with his mouthful as Ryoma looked carefully at the chest and then at the fruit in Luffy's hands, then his eyes went wide a little._

_"Uh, Captain, you don't think that fruit Luffy's eating could be...?" Ryoma didn't finish as his and Shanks' eyes widened each with a panicked look on their faces as Ryoma asked Luffy, "Hey, what are you eating!?" making Luffy turn to them as he swallowed what was already in his mouth._

_"Luffy, don't tell me you just ate the fruit that was inside the chest!?" Shanks yelled as Luffy just looked confused, but then Shanks grabbed him and held him by his ankles, shaking him as he yelled, "Spit it out! Spit out every piece right now!"_

_"What are you doing!?" Luffy cried as Shanks kept shaking him._

_"Captain, I think it's too late for that now." Ryoma said, but then Luffy's legs suddenly stretched out as he landed on his face, he was like that for a few seconds before he sprang back up as Ryoma sweated a little as he said, "I was right, it's too late to spit it out now."_

_"Does that mean...?" one pirate gasped._

_"He couldn't have...?" Yasopp gasped._

_"I'm afraid he did Yasopp." Ryoma answered as Luffy looked ahead with his face red from when he hit the floor._

_"What just happened?" Luffy asked with his eyes wide in shock._

_Shanks pulled Luffy up so their eyes met as he yelled, "Luffy, that was a Devil Fruit! The Devil Fruits are the treasures of the sea! If you eat it, you'll lose the ability to swim for the rest of your life, but the one you ate also turns your body into rubber!"_

_"WHAAAAAAT!? NO WAY!" Luffy shouted in shock._

_"YOU DUMBASS!" Shanks and Ryoma shouted at the same time._

* * *

_Later, Luffy ran into the same bandits again and demanded that they apologize for what the leader said about Shanks and his crew, but they just took him away and started to beat him up, even with Makino and the Mayor begging them to stop, but just as the bandits were about to deliver the final blow...  
_

_"I was wondering why the bar was empty on such a fine day." everyone turned to see Shanks and his crew standing behind Makino and the Mayor._

_"So this is why." Ryoma finished for Shanks._

_"Captain Shanks!" Makino called in relief._

_Shanks grinned, "If it isn't the bandits from the other day. What's the matter Luffy? I thought you said you have a punch like a pistol."_

_"Shut up!" Luffy snarled from under the bandit leader's boot._

_"Pirate, why are you still here? I suggest you leave and continue cleaning if you don't wanna get hurt." the bandit leader said smugly, but Shanks just slowly walked towards them as the leader pointed his sword at him and said, "I don't know why you're here, but leave before we kill you." but Shanks just kept walking until another bandit came next to him and aimed a pistol at him._

_"Don't move another step, or I'll blow your brains out." the bandit said still holding the pistol up to Shanks._

_"Since you drew your pistol, I assume you're willing to use it?" Shanks asked casually catching the bandit off guard, but Shanks continued with, "Are you willing to risk your life? These aren't toys to scare people with you know." as soon as Shanks said that, the bandit suddenly grunted and fell down, dropping his pistol as the others saw that Ryoma appeared behind the bandit and knocked him out with a chop to the back of the neck._

_"You killed him!" another bandit yelled at Ryoma._

_Ryoma just gave off a grin, "Not really, I just knocked him out, he'll be like that for a while. You have no idea who you're dealing with, we never claim ourselves as saints."_

_"We're pirates." Shanks said proudly._

_"Shut up, this is none of your business!" the bandit leader yelled as Shanks face went from casual to angry._

_"Listen up bandits, you can spill food on me, you can pour drinks on me, hell, you can even spit at me, I'll just laugh it off..." Shanks began, then his face grew furious as he yelled, "But... good reason or not... I WON'T FORGIVE THOSE WHO HURT MY FRIENDS! Now, for the last time, let Luffy go!"_

_"Shanks." Luffy whispered softly._

_The bandit leader just laughed, "Won't forgive you say? You bunch of pirates who float around on the sea want to challenge the bandits!? What a joke, kill them all!" that's when the bandits charged towards the pirates._

_Shanks just grinned as he turned to Ryoma and asked casually, "Care to do the honors Ryoma?"_

_"With pleasure." Ryoma smirked as he cracked his knuckles, then he disappeared from plain sight, taking the bandits, Makino, the Mayor, and Luffy by surprise._

_"Hey, where did he go!?" one bandit asked while looking around, but as soon as he asked that, he was suddenly knocked out and all of the other bandits soon followed after him as Ryoma suddenly reappeared next to Shanks._

_"Wow." Luffy whispered in awe._

_"What the... How did you do that? Who the hell are you!?" the bandit leader yelled in shock._

_"Me? I'm just a Saiyan." Ryoma answered while glaring at the bandit leader._

_"Wait, hold on, the kid's the one who started it!" the bandit leader yelled while pointing at Luffy._

_"Aren't you a wanted man?" Shanks taunted with a smirk, but then the bandit threw something to the ground and smoke began to cover the area as Shanks coughed, "A smoke bomb!" then a member of his crew just slashed the air with his sword and cleared out the smoke, but they saw that the bandit leader was gone, not only that, but so was Luffy as Shanks yelled, "Luffy!?"_

_Ryoma looked out to the sea before he said, "Captain, I've picked up their location, come on!" then he and Shanks ran on ahead._

* * *

_The bandit leader was holding Luffy by his shirt in a boat in the water as he laughed darkly, "We got away." then he turned to Luffy and said, "They'll never think to look for a bandit at sea. I only brought you as a hostage, but now I don't need you anymore. I've always killed those who made me angry... you'll be the 57th."  
_

_"Not if you die first!" Luffy yelled, but the bandit just chuckled and threw Luffy into the sea as he tried to stay up on the surface, since he ate a Devil Fruit as the bandit laughed, that is until something big hovered over the boat as the bandit turned around and panicked when he saw something that looked like a giant brown eel with glowing red eyes and blue fins._

_"WHAT!? WHAT IS THIS MONSTER!?" the bandit yelled in fear before the eel opened its big mouth and ate the bandit along with the boat in one bite as it swallowed the bandit whole, then the eel turned its attention to Luffy who was struggling to stay afloat before it charged towards Luffy who let out a scream of fear._

_But Luffy was saved from the eel who looked like it took a bite out of something else, it turned out that Luffy was saved by Shanks who held the kid close to him as the eel turned around as Shanks looked at the eel with a cold glare._

_"Get lost." Shanks said with his voice as cold as ice as the eel looked Shanks in the eyes, but then it got scared and swam away as fast as it can._

_"S-Shanks." Luffy said while looking up at Shanks with tears in his eyes._

_"Thanks Luffy, Makino told us what happened. Thanks for sticking up for us." Shanks said with a grin, but then Luffy started to cry before Shanks said, "Come on, there's no need to cry, you're a man now."_

_"B-But... Shanks... your arm! YOUR ARM!" Luffy cried with his tears flowing out now as Shanks' left arm was completely gone, leaving behind a bloody stump that was just passed the elbow as blood dripped in the water next to them._

_"Luffy... it's just an arm, I've got another one. I'm just glad that you're okay." Shanks reassured, but Luffy just kept crying on Shanks' shirt, then Ryoma floated down next to Shanks and Luffy and placed Shanks' hat back on his head._

_"Come on, let's get you both out of the water." Ryoma said gently before he picked up Shanks and Luffy and flew back to the town._

* * *

_Later Shanks and his crew were at the docks ready to leave as Luffy came to see them off as Shanks had a black cloth where his left arm used to be.  
_

_"So you're leaving for good this time?" Luffy asked as Makino, the Mayor, and the other villagers came to see them off as well._

_"Yep, it's been a nice extended vacation, but we've stayed long enough. It's about time that we move on." Shanks answered, then he turned to Luffy and asked, "Sad to see us go?"_

_"Yeah, but I've made up my mind. I'm not gonna ask you to take me with you, I've decided that I'm gonna be a pirate all on my own." Luffy answered._

_Shanks then stuck his tongue out and teased, "I wouldn't take you even if you begged me! You don't have what it takes to be a pirate!"_

_Luffy blinked before he got angry and yelled, "YES I DO!" Shanks' crew turned to Luffy who continued with, "One day I'll have a crew that's stronger than yours, then I'll find the world's greatest treasure, you hear me!? Someday, I'm gonna be KING OF THE PIRATES!" _

_Shanks listened carefully as he smiled at Luffy, "Oh? So you're gonna gather up a crew that'll be stronger than mine?" he teased, then he took his hat off for some reason, "In that case..." then he placed it on Luffy's head as he said, "I'll leave this hat to you. This hat is more important to me than any other treasure in the world, so promise me that you'll return it in good condition, and only after you've become a great pirate. That'll be our promise Luffy." that was enough to bring tears to Luffy's eyes as they flowed down his cheeks._

_"Raise anchor and set the sail!" Shanks yelled to his crew who let out a group, "Aye!"_

_Soon Shanks and his crew were sailing off as Luffy looked on with the straw hat in his hands while Makino was behind him with her hands on his shoulders._

_Luffy's flashback end:_

* * *

Luffy turned to Zoro and Tarble, pointed at his hat and said, "And this straw hat knows the whole story."

Zoro smirked as he looked up at the sky and said, "I see."

"Man, kinda reminds of someone I met on Planet Vegeta before I was sent away." Tarble thought as he looked up and took a trip down memory lane.

* * *

_Tarble's flashback:  
_

_Tarble was getting beaten up by Big Brother._

_"This is pathetic, you can't even stand up against your own brother?" Big Brother said as Tarble struggled to stand up due to the injuries to his body._

_"Just you wait... the shoe will be on the other foot soon enough... just watch!" Tarble grunted._

_"I'll believe it when I see it, now let's go!" Big Brother yelled before he and Tarble charged towards each other._

* * *

_Later, Tarble was sitting on a bench with his head resting on his hands and his elbows resting on his legs, he got beaten up even more by Big Brother, and now he was beginning to doubt his ability to fight.  
_

_"I don't understand, I'm trying my best to be stronger, but why can't I beat my Big Brother in a little spar? Ooh, Father will be so disappointed in me... well even more than he already is... if that's even possible." Tarble said sadly as some other Saiyans came passing by._

_"Hey look, that's the waste in Saiyan blood." one Saiyan whispered while looking at Tarble._

_"I don't know why the king would keep him around." another Saiyan whispered while looking away from Tarble who now had tears in his eyes._

_"He doesn't even have the same idea as us, he's just gonna get himself killed." a third Saiyan whispered before the three of them walked away, leaving Tarble to cry by himself._

_"They're right, why do I even bother trying? I'll just be nothing more... than a Saiyan reject. *Sniff* I'm just a disgrace." Tarble said as he kept crying silently to himself, he didn't even notice that another Saiyan kid was walking over to him, the kid was wearing the same blue jumpsuit Tarble was wearing, white and yellow armor, white gloves, white boots, he also had a green Scouter on his left eye, black hair that was short spiky and a little bit around his head, black eyes, and he also had his tail waving slowly behind him._ (A/N: This is a Saiyan OC created by MkSilverCenturion, so he gets the credit for bringing him to life, thanks again MkSilverCenturion if you're reading this.)

_"Hey, you okay?" the Saiyan kid asked as Tarble turned to him and wiped away his tears._

_"Leave me alone, I don't want to hear anyone else telling me I'm a disgrace." Tarble said sadly._

_"I can't just leave you here alone, you look like you could use someone to talk to." the Saiyan kid said with a smile as he took a seat next to Tarble who was a bit surprised at how nice the kid was._

_"You really want to stay and talk to me?" Tarble asked._

_"Yeah, you seem like a nice guy. By the way, my name's Kukin." Kukin said as he extended his hand out to Tarble._

_"Tarble." Tarble replied as he and Kukin shook hands._

_"So tell me Tarble, what's got you so down?" Kukin asked scooting a little closer to Tarble._

_Tarble sighed sadly, "I guess I'll just be nothing more than a waste of Saiyan blood, I've heard it from some other Saiyans. My Big Brother does try to toughen me up, same with my Father and a couple of his followers, but, even though they won't say it to my face, I can tell that I'm just wasting their time."_

_"Father and followers?" Kukin asked in confusion, then his eyes went wide in realization as he said, "Hold on, Tarble, is your Dad King Vegeta, the King of all Saiyans?"_

_Tarble nodded, "That's him, that makes me the Prince of all Saiyans and second heir to the throne, but I really don't think my Father or my Brother seem to care that much since I can't fight as good as them."_

_"Come on, don't let that get you down, even someone from another planet can take down an elite warrior if he or she tries hard enough." Kukin assured while patting Tarble on the back._

_"You really think so?" Tarble asked sounding a bit surprised._

_"I know so. I believe you have what it takes to be a strong Saiyan." Kukin said with a silly grin on his face._

_"Thanks, but I doubt that I can go that far." Tarble said still feeling a little down as Kukin tried to think of something else, then he got an idea._

_"Don't worry Tarble, I'll help you out." Kukin offered, taking Tarble by surprise._

_"You'd really do that?" Tarble asked._

_Kukin nodded, "Sure, of course. Come on, we'll show them that we can both get stronger together." then Kukin grabbed Tarble's hand and dragged him over to a different location._

* * *

_Soon, Kukin dragged Tarble to an open area for a nice little spar.  
_

_"Uh, I don't know about this Kukin." Tarble said sounding a bit unsure as he and Kukin faced each other._

_"Just try to concentrate on your first step to being a strong Saiyan. Now, come at me with everything you've got." Kukin said getting into a fighting position as did Tarble after he nodded._

_"Okay, here goes nothing." Tarble thought as he charged towards Kukin and tried to punch him, but Kukin dodged the attack and went for a kick that Tarble quickly dodged._

_Soon the two of them were pounding each other in a dust cloud as the sound of them punching, kicking, and grunting could be heard._

_After a good few hours of battling, Tarble and Kukin were panting loudly with dirt and bruises all over their armor and bodies._

_"See? I knew you had it in you, I'm pretty strong, not as much as someone from the royal family, but still." Kukin panted._

_"Looks like I just needed the right partner is all." Tarble panted before they looked at each other and then they shared a friendly laugh._

* * *

_After getting cleaned up, Tarble and Kukin were sitting on the bench they sat on earlier while looking up at the sky.  
_

_"You know, I had a lot of fun sparring with you, it was the first time I could actually smile." Tarble told Kukin._

_"I had fun too, those other kids were being nothing but a bunch of bullies." Kukin said._

_Tarble turned to Kukin and asked, "Hey Kukin, how come you were so nice to me? You must have heard what some of the other Saiyans were saying about me."_

_"You seem like a good guy, when I kept hearing about you, I just felt like I had to meet you and see for myself. Something I should do for a friend." Kukin answered confusing._

_"You really consider me a friend?" Tarble asked._

_"Sure, what else would I consider you? Besides a Saiyan Prince." Kukin said, laughing a little._

_"You know, no one has ever been as nice to me as you have, and you didn't even have to be." Tarble mentioned._

_"It's just something I felt like I should do, maybe it's destiny that brought us together like this." Kukin pointed out._

_"Yeah, I think you're right." Tarble agreed._

_Kukin then thought of something, turned to Tarble and said, "Hey Tarble."_

_"Yes?" Tarble asked while turning to Kukin._

_"Let's both try our best to become strong Saiyans, even if we go our separate ways, we'll keep up our training. And then, one day, we both battle each other again to see the results of our training." Kukin told Tarble._

_"No problem, I'll train even harder than ever, so you'd better train hard yourself, that way it'll be a challenge when we do fight each other again." Tarble said with a friendly smile._

_"Sure thing." Kukin said as he held out his knuckle to Tarble._

_"It's a promise." Tarble and Kukin said together as they bumped knuckles, making a promise to each other._

* * *

_The next day, at the Castle, King Vegeta suddenly called Tarble looking troubled for some reason.  
_

_"You wanted to see me Father?" Tarble asked as the King nodded his head._

_"Tarble, you have been known for your low power level and your lack of Saiyan instinct." King Vegeta started._

_"But I've been trying really hard to become stronger Father." Tarble said, but he shrank from the glare King Vegeta was giving him._

_"I can tell, but I'm afraid you'll only be wasting everyone's time. Tarble, you can't stay here on Planet Vegeta." King Vegeta said as Tarble's eyes widened in realization._

_"You're sending me away, aren't you?" Tarble asked sounding hurt._

_"It may be harsh, but I can't run my kingdom with weaklings like you running around." King Vegeta said sternly, making Tarble angry._

_"I'm not a weakling, I've been training hard! How could you say that to your Son!?" Tarble yelled angrily as King Vegeta stood from his throne._

_"You'd be wise to watch your tone around me!" King Vegeta yelled._

_"No, I'm not gonna put up with this anymore! I'll train hard on my own, even if I have to go through you to do it myself! I will be a true Saiyan, not only that, but I'll be stronger than you one day!" Tarble yelled, but he got punched in the gut by King Vegeta, knocking him out instantly as King Vegeta caught Tarble before he could hit the floor._

_"Well, we'll just see about that." King Vegeta smirked as he walked away with his unconscious Son in his arm._

* * *

_Later, one Saiyan was putting Tarble in a Space Pod with some new armor and a blue Scouter, along with some other stuff he might need while Tarble was still unconscious.  
_

_"Prince Tarble is safely in his Pod, ready to leave Planet Vegeta, Your Majesty." the Saiyan saluted._

_"Good. I don't really care where he goes, as long as it's away from here." King Vegeta said before he ordered another Saiyan, "Soldier, get the Pod out of this planet!"_

_"Yes sir!" the Saiyan saluted as he set the coordinates on Tarble's Pod before it closed and blasted away from Planet Vegeta as King Vegeta watched it leave with his youngest Son._

_"Tarble, I know I was hard on you, but this is for your own good. I had to get you away from this planet, so that you won't end up like your Brother. I believe you can become a true Saiyan Prince one day, Tarble. In fact, you may even become the legendary warrior... a Super Saiyan. Good luck, my Son." King Vegeta thought while still looking at the spot where he last saw Tarble's Pod take off, letting a single tear escape from his eye._

_Tarble's flashback end:_

* * *

Tarble was dragged out of his thoughts when he heard his stomach growl as he placed a hand on it and said, "Getting pretty hungry."

"So am I, I'm starving!" Luffy complained.

"It's funny that neither one of you have any navigational skills." Zoro told Tarble and Luffy.

"Why? drifting has worked pretty well for me so far." Luffy said.

"It worked well for me too. What about you Zoro? Aren't you supposed to be the terror of the sea?" Tarble asked.

"I don't recall ever calling myself that. I followed a pirate ship that I was after out to sea, but I couldn't find my way back home. So I made the best of things and went after the pirates that were in the area. I had to get some money somehow." Zoro explained.

"So you got lost?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"Shut up, you didn't have to say it like that!" Zoro snapped.

"Uh guys, I don't mean to interrupt, but we've gotta find a navigator as soon as possible." Tarble pointed out.

"You're right, we also need a cook, a musician..." Luffy started.

"THOSE CAN WAIT!" Zoro shouted before they heard something in the sky as they looked up to see a pink bird flying in the sky above them as Zoro said, "Look, a bird."

"Looks pretty big." Tarble said.

"Let's eat it!" Luffy said causing Tarble and Zoro to turn to him.

"How?" Zoro asked.

"I'll catch it." Luffy asked as he grabbed the sides of the boat and walked back.

"Uh, Luffy, I don't think you should..." Tarble said while grabbing Luffy from behind, but Luffy wasn't even listening.

"**Gum-Gum ROCKET!**" Luffy launched himself and Tarble up to the pink bird, but they didn't come down as the bird had Luffy's head in its beak while Tarble was holding on to its leg.

"I tried to warn you." Tarble said as the bird flew away from the boat and Zoro with Luffy and Tarble.

"HEY, GET US DOWN FROM HERE!" Luffy yelled as he tried to get his head out of the beak.

"Hang on Luffy, I'll get you out!" Tarble said flying next to the bird as he tried to free Luffy, but he couldn't do much anymore as Luffy suddenly grabbed his tail, weakening Tarble to the point that he could only dangle as the bird flew away.

"YOU IDIOTS, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?" Zoro shouted as he rowed the boat after the bird.

* * *

Still feeling weak from Luffy grabbing his tail, Tarble looked down to see the bird was flying over a quiet town, in fact it looked deserted.

"Put us down you stupid bird!" Luffy yelled still trying to break free.

"Can you please let go of my tail Luffy? I'm feeling a little dizzy." Tarble said weakly, but then he heard the sound of a cannon going off as he asked, "What was that?"

Then suddenly something hit the bird, creating an explosion and causing the bird to drop Luffy and Tarble as the two of them fell down to the town below them since Luffy was still holding Tarble's tail, Tarble couldn't fly them away, so the crashed into the ground.

Luffy finally let go of Tarble's tail as he stood up and dusted himself off as he said, "Finally, we're both safe now, and what just happened to us was awesome."

"I beg to differ." Tarble said as he got up and cracked his neck a little, then he looked around and asked, "Now where are we?"

* * *

Looks like Luffy and Tarble are in a bit of a pickle now. Can they find out where they are? And what was it that shot them right out of the sky? Find out as the adventure continues next time on The X-Pirates!


	5. Enter Buggy, the Clown Pirate

Last time on The X-Pirates, while sailing along, Luffy, Tarble, and Zoro saw a bird flying above them. Feeling hungry, Luffy tried to catch the bird, despite Tarble saying otherwise, but the two of them ended up being taken away by the bird and leaving Zoro to row the boat after them. All of a sudden, something made the bird explode and Luffy and Tarble were sent crashing down into the town below them. Find out what happens to them now.

Enter Buggy, the Clown Pirate

As they stood up, Luffy and Tarble began to look around and only Tarble noticed that three pirates and a girl with short orange hair looking at the two of them with their jaws wide open.

"Wonder where we are." Luffy wondered as Tarble turned to his captain.

"I have no idea, but I could've flown us back to our boat if you hadn't have grabbed my tail when the bird was flying away! Why did you do that, I told you what happens to me whenever someone does that?" Tarble said still a little sore about his tail being grabbed, neither him or Luffy noticed the sneaky grin the girl was giving as she looked at the two of them.

"Man, now we've lost the bird, and I'm starving!" Luffy whined like he didn't hear Tarble in the first place as the girl began to walk up to them.

"So am I, maybe we can ask someone in this town for some food. After having some food, I might be able to use my Scouter and fly us back over to Zoro." Tarble suggested as the girl stopped in front of Luffy with her hands clasped together.

"Hey Boss, thanks for coming to save me!" the girl said sounding excited as Luffy and Tarble turned to her.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked in confusion even though he couldn't help but feel that he saw the girl before as she was thinking the same about Luffy.

"What's going on here?" Tarble asked with his arms crossed, but the girl just turned and began to run away.

"They're all yours now Boss, have fun!" the girl called before she was out of sight.

"Hey, the girl's getting away!" one of the pirates yelled angrily.

"That's okay, we've got her boss now, along with this fool with him." a second pirate said as he looked at Luffy and Tarble with an evil grin on his face.

"You're both in trouble now, you should've let your crony fend for herself." the third pirate said while holding out his sword.

"What are you talking about?" Tarble asked while glaring at the pirates who glared back at him and Luffy who just watched as the girl ran down the street.

Luffy finally turned to the pirates and asked, "Do you guys know anywhere good to eat around here?" that made the pirates angry.

"Food's the least of your worries now!" one of the pirates yelled as he punched Luffy in the face, it was enough to knock the straw hat off his head, that made Luffy angry as he punched the pirate right back, sending him crashing into the ground, knocking him out cold.

Luffy caught his hat, placed it back on his head while shadowing his eyes with it, as he warned the other pirates, "You better keep your hands off my hat!"

"Why you...! Let's get him!" the second pirate growled but he and the third were suddenly knocked out cold by Tarble who appeared behind them and gave them both a swift chop to the neck.

"Wow!" Luffy and Tarble looked around until they saw the same girl from before looking down at them over the roof edge as she called out, "You're both really strong!" then she jumped down in front of them as she continued with, "Even though both of them had swords, you both beat them using only your bare hands."

"Hey, you're the girl who set me and Tarble up, who are you?" Luffy asked sounding more curious than angry.

"I'm a talented thief who steals strictly from pirates." the girl answered Luffy's question.

Tarble gulped a little before he asked, "Oh, so what's your name Miss?"

"The name's Nami." Nami answered, then she suddenly asked, "Hey, you two wanna team up with me?"

"Um, thanks anyway, but I think I'll pass." Luffy answered.

"I'm gonna have to decline your offer too." Tarble said politely then Luffy started to walk away as Tarble followed him.

"Hold on, at least think about it first!" Nami yelled as she ran after them as Luffy suddenly stopped causing Tarble to stop as well.

"I just remembered." Luffy said.

"What is it Luffy?" Tarble asked sounding a little interested.

Then Luffy placed his hands on his stomach before he fell to his knees, then he suddenly whined, "I'm so hungry." that was enough to make Tarble fall over.

"That's what you remembered?" Tarble asked sounding a bit annoyed, but then his stomach growled as he blushed with embarrassment as he said, "I guess we both could use something to eat right now."

"Well, come with me and I'll find you both something to eat." Nami offered as both Luffy and Tarble bolted up and looked at her hungrily, taking her aback.

"Yeah, are you serious?" Luffy asked happily.

"Thank you so much!" Tarble said with a polite bow.

* * *

Later Luffy and Tarble were stuffing themselves with food that Nami provided for them.

"So do you live here in this big house all by yourself?" Luffy asked Nami who was sitting at the edge of the table watching Luffy and Tarble eat.

"This isn't my house, I'm just staying here for the time being. Everyone's left this town because of Captain Buggy." Nami explained.

"Captain Buggy?" Tarble asked in confusion.

"So you're a petty thief." Luffy suddenly spoke up.

"How rude, I only steal from those who deserve it, pirates! So don't compare me to some petty thief." Nami huffed at Luffy.

"A thief's a thief as far as I'm concerned." Luffy said after swallowing all the bread he had in his mouth.

"You working on some sort of goal Nami?" Tarble suddenly asked.

"My goal is to earn one-hundred million berries, no matter what I have to do or how long it takes." Nami admitted.

"What do you need that much money for?" Luffy asked curiously.

"It's a secret." Nami said bluntly while looking away as Luffy went back to the food as did Tarble, but he kept his eyes on Nami who pulled a piece of paper out of her shirt and said, "But with this chart of the Grand Line, the one-hundred million berries is definitely a possibility." that got Tarble's attention.

"A chart of the Grand Line? You're a navigator, aren't you?" Tarble asked as Luffy looked away from his food and back to Nami.

"I'm the most skilled navigator you two are ever likely to meet." Nami answered with a proud smile.

Luffy suddenly stood up excitedly, "Oh wow, that's perfect! Then how about you join my crew? I've been looking to recruit a navigator!"

"Really?" Nami asked with her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Sure, you can be the navigator for our pirate crew!" Luffy exclaimed happily and Nami's smile quickly turned into a firm frown.

"No!" Nami said firmly as Luffy and Tarble looked at her as she said darkly, "I didn't realize you two were pirates."

"Yeah, I made an important promise." Luffy said as he took off his straw hat and looked at it as he continued with, "I promised the guy who gave me this hat that I'd form a crew and become the greatest pirate ever."

Nami suddenly slammed her hands on the table angrily and almost screamed at both Luffy and Tarble, "There's nothing in the world that I despise more than pirates! I only love money and tangerines!"

"Come on, be our navigator." Luffy whined.

"Uh, Luffy..." Tarble tried but he was interrupted.

"I said no!" Nami said harshly before she walked over to the window not saying anything else.

"Your loss." Luffy shrugged before he went back to the food while Tarble just blinked in confusion before he turned to Nami who kept looking out the window, then she turned to Luffy and Tarble with a wicked grin on her face.

"I don't quite like that look on her face." Tarble thought leaning back a bit from the grin Nami was giving as she walked back over to the table.

"I guess I might consider joining you and your friend, but only if both of you agree to certain conditions." Nami said in a sweet tone getting Luffy's attention once again.

"Really? I'll do anything, so will Tarble!" Luffy said happily with an arm around Tarble's shoulders.

"Why do I not like the sound of that?" Tarble pretty much asked himself.

"Well then, I want you two to come with me to meet Buggy the Clown. But first..." Nami started with some rope in her hands.

Quickly, Nami had Luffy and Tarble tied up and held up two long lengths of the rope Luffy and Tarble were tied up in like a couple of leashes as Tarble sighed and said to himself, "I had to ask."

"Why'd you have to tie me and Tarble up?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"The rope's just for appearances." Nami lied.

"Somehow, I don't see that." Tarble thought as he tried to use his tail to loosen his rope up a bit, but then he saw that his tail was also wrapped in rope as he thought, "What, she tied up my tail too!? Guess that explains why I'm having some trouble staying on my feet."

"Well, okay then. I've been looking forward to meeting some other pirates, so let's get going!" Luffy said happily as they walked forward with Nami and Tarble stumbling a little.

"Just hold your horses, what's the big rush?" Nami complained as the three of them left the house.

"He was like this when I first met him." Tarble told Nami as they kept walking.

* * *

Soon, Nami, Luffy, and Tarble were standing in front of a pirate with a big red nose as the other pirates stopped partying to look at the scene as Nami pushed Luffy and Tarble to the ground in frond of the red nosed pirate before she stuck her tongue out at them, then she turned to the pirate in front of her and said, "I've captured the real thieves Captain Buggy the Clown, and here's your chart back."

Buggy smirked, "Not that I don't appreciate it, but why the sudden change of heart little girl?"

Nami handed Buggy the chart back before she stepped back and shrugged casually, "I had another fight with my boss and his monkey assistant and I just can't take it anymore."

"Hey, I take great pride in having my tail!" Tarble yelled sounding offended, but he was ignored.

"So I thought I'd see if I could join your crew instead." Nami told Buggy as the other pirates grew nervous for some reason.

Then Buggy suddenly laughed, "So you're fed up huh? I must admit, you're an amusing girl. I like you, of course you can join my crew!"

Nami just kept smiling while Luffy and Tarble were shoved into a stone and metal cage.

"Oh, that's just great." Tarble whispered sounding annoyed as he and Luffy looked at Nami and Buggy.

"It's a great day to be a pirate. Girl... what do you call yourself?" Buggy asked Nami.

"I'm Nami." Nami answered happily.

Buggy laughed, "Men, let us throw a welcome party for our newest crew member, Nami!" after the declaration, the pirates cheered loudly and they began to party.

"Ugh, I can't believe I was tricked so easily! If my Father were here, he would-" Tarble thought before he stopped himself as he remembered the last time he talked to his Father as his face darkened as he said to himself darkly, "Father."

* * *

The pirates kept on partying while Luffy stretched his hand out to try and grab something to eat, but he just couldn't quite reach the food as his arm came back to him and Tarble quickly.

"Ow!" Tarble grunted a little after Luffy's hand smacked him in the face.

"Oh, sorry." Luffy apologized to Tarble.

"That's okay, you didn't know." Tarble said calmly, then they heard Buggy speak up.

"Now listen up!" Buggy suddenly yelled as everyone turned their attention to him as he yelled, "Men, it's time to prepare the Buggy Ball!"

"Buggy Ball?" Tarble asked in confusion as one of the pirates got a cannon ready while another got a cannonball that was bigger than the ones Tarble remembered, it was also red and had a mark of a skull with a big red nose and crossbones on it, most likely Buggy the Clown's pirate mark as they carefully loaded the cannon.

"All set Captain." one of the pirates said as the cannon was aimed towards the town.

"W-What are you going to do with that thing?" Nami asked Buggy nervously.

Buggy grinned evilly, "Just watch. The awesome might of the Buggy Ball. Light it."

As soon as he said that, the cannon was lit, and soon the Buggy Ball was fired, but it didn't just go bang like the other cannonballs, it exploded and destroyed the entire block it was aimed at, leaving nothing behind except for a pile of broken wood that was once a bunch of houses.

Tarble's eyes widened as he saw what the Buggy Ball did as he thought, "I don't believe it! They just shot that cannonball and it exploded just like that!? What kind of planet am I stuck in!?"

Buggy laughed, "That was flashy! With these Buggy Balls and the power of the Devil Fruit I ate, I should have no problem conquering the Grand Line!"

"I see, so he ate a Devil Fruit too, like Luffy did." Tarble thought while looking at Luffy then back at Buggy.

"Huh? But it's MY destiny to conquer the Grand Line!" Luffy suddenly yelled out gaining everyone's attention as Buggy glared at the Rubber Teen who continued with, "And then I'm gonna be King of the Pirates."

"Shut up you idiot!" Nami yelled at Luffy.

But then Buggy laughed as he said, "I can see why you're sick of him Nami." then he turned to Tarble and asked, "What about you Monkey Boy, do you have a goal like your friend next to you?"

Tarble glared at Buggy before he yelled, "I do! My goal is to become the strongest Saiyan ever! After that, I'll be able to redeem the Saiyan name!"

"Saiyan? What the hell is he talking about!?" Nami thought while looking at Tarble in confusion.

"Now I see why you're sick of both of them Nami." Buggy said shaking Nami out of her thoughts.

Nami gulped and nodded quickly, "Yeah, I know. Those two never take anything seriously, they both think life's a big game! They act like a couple of little kids!"

"I have never been more serious about my goal in all my life!" Tarble yelled now getting really angry, but he was ignored of course so he sighed to himself, "What's the use?"

Another evil look was on Buggy's face, "I see, in that case... how about I give you a Buggy Ball to blow away your old boss and his monkey-tailed assistant?" while Nami's eyes widened at the idea, Buggy continued with, "It will be a great opportunity to prove your loyalty to me, your new captain." as the cannon was already aimed at Luffy and Tarble with a Buggy Ball loaded in it.

"That's all right Captain, we don't need to finish them off quite yet, let's get back to the welcoming party and have more fun." Nami said with fear in her voice.

"This is my idea of having more fun." Buggy said with a wicked smile as one of the pirates handed Nami a box of matches while the other pirates were cheered for her to fire.

Tarble gulped as he sweated a little while Luffy just looked calm while Nami turned to look at them as she thought, "What should I do? If I don't fire, I'll be killed, but if I do, I won't be any better than these pirates."

"Hey, you're not wimping out on me are ya!?" Buggy yelled impatiently making Nami jump a little.

Luffy saw Nami's hands shake as he said, "What's the matter? Your hands are shaking." Nami froze like she forgot both Luffy and Tarble could speak, then she gave them an angry look as Luffy continued with, "This is what happens when you take on pirates with half-assed resolve."

"Resolve to do what? To kill someone like it's nothing? Is that a pirate's resolve!?" Nami demanded.

"No, you gotta be willing to risk your own life." Luffy smiled as Nami gave him a strange look as one of the pirates suddenly took the matches away from her.

"Having trouble? Here, let me show you how it's done." the pirate said lighting one of the matches, but before he could light the fuse, Nami suddenly pulled a staff out and smacked him on the head, taking everyone else by surprise.

"Nami, what's the meaning of this!?" Buggy demanded.

"I'm sorry!" Nami quickly apologized.

"What's wrong!? Just shoot them already!" Buggy yelled.

"Huh, so now you've decided to save us?" Luffy asked in confusion.

Nami looked back at Luffy and Tarble as she yelled, "Don't be stupid! I'm not doing this for you and your friend you idiot! I just don't want to lower myself to these inhuman pirates!"

"Okay, thanks anyway." Luffy said lightly, like he wasn't bothered with what Nami said at all.

"I don't understand, why are you so against pirates Nami? Did you have a bad experience with them in the past or something?" Tarble asked struggling to get the rope off of him.

"Pirates took the life of a person very dear to me! I'll never be one of them!" Nami finally declared.

"I see..." Luffy said, truly understanding as he nodded with a sympathetic look on his face as Tarble nodded with sympathy as well.

Tarble sniffed for some reason before he asked, "Hey why does it smell like something's burning all of a sudden?"

Luffy and Tarble looked at the cannon, the two of them lost their cool as they screamed together, "AHHHHHH! NAMI, THE FUSE!" as Nami's eyes widened before she saw that the fuse was lit and burning fast.

"So you think that pirates are just inhuman filth do you!? Men, get her!" Buggy yelled furiously as the pirates ran over to attack Nami, but she blocked their swords with her staff, and when she swung at them they dodged the attack.

"Water, water, water, water, water!" Luffy kept chanting while looking around him in hope to find water while Tarble was blowing at the cannon hoping to put out the fuse, but it was in vain.

"Now what do we do?" Tarble asked as he looked down before he saw that Luffy unknowingly freed his tail from the rope it was tied up in as Tarble felt his strength return to him, so he looked at his captain who was looking around for water and said, "Thanks for setting my tail free Luffy." then he kicked one of the bars of the cage clean off as he squeezed out of the cage and ran over to Nami's aid as Nami dropped her staff and went over to the cannon, then she grabbed the fuse with her hands as she screamed in pain.

"Watch out!" Luffy warned as Nami saw that some pirates were about to attack her, but Tarble was able to kick some away from her.

Then more of the pirates were sent flying back while screaming in pain as something stood next to Tarble in between Nami and the Buggy Pirates as Tarble saw that it was Zoro.

"Hey now, it's not very nice of all of you to gang up on a poor girl." Zoro said casually to the Buggy Pirates.

"Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed happily.

"Nice timing Zoro." Tarble said happily, then he turned to Nami who was a bit stunned at what she saw as he asked, "Are you okay Nami?"

"I-I'm fine, thanks." Nami managed to get out.

"What a relief, I'm glad you found us. Now hurry and come get me out of here!" Luffy told Zoro who looked at Tarble then at Luffy.

"How do you two keep getting yourselves into these situations?" Zoro asked Luffy while rolling his eyes as he hoisted his sword over his shoulder as he walked over to the cage as he said, "First a bird flies off with you two and now I find you trapped in a cage and both you and Tarble all tied up."

"It's an interesting story actually." Luffy answered.

"Oops, sorry Luffy, I forgot to get you out of there. Things were happening kinda fast." Tarble apologized with a sheepish look on his face.

"That's fine Tarble, at least you got out." Luffy said with a silly grin on his face.

"These guys never told me that they were with Pirate Hunter Zoro, what's going on here!?" Nami thought in shock.

"So you're Zoro. If you're here for my head, then it'll be a bit of a challenge for you." Buggy said smugly, but Zoro didn't look very interested,

"No, not interested. I gave up pirate hunting, I'm here for my friends." Zoro said, but Buggy wasn't annoyed or relieved, but he was smiling that evil smile of his.

"But I'm interested though. Killing you will be a boost to my reputation." Buggy said as Zoro turned to the Clown Pirate.

"If you try, you'll die." Zoro threatened as Buggy took out several daggers and held them like they were a bunch of sharp claws.

Buggy laughed a little louder, "Oh, is that so?"

Zoro sighed in annoyance, "I tried to warn you, but... oh well."

Tarble looked at Buggy, then he warned Zoro, "Careful Zoro, I've heard that he ate a Devil Fruit!"

"Relax Tarble, I've got this. Why don't you focus on getting yourself out of those ropes?" Zoro suggested as Tarble still looked a bit uneasy.

"Die flashily!" Buggy yelled as he charged after Zoro who pulled his swords out, then Zoro sliced Buggy up into a bunch of pieces that were scattered all over the area.

"Wow, Zoro just sliced him up into multiple pieces." Tarble thought in awe as he used his tail to pull on the rope, untying him in a snap.

Zoro just put his swords away, not looking at the sliced up body parts as he asked, "That wasn't much of a fight, was it?"

"Wow, he's weak. Great job Zoro." Luffy said sounding a little disappointed.

"No way." Nami whispered in amazement.

"If it was that easy to beat him, then why do I have the feeling that this is just the beginning?" Tarble thought before he, Luffy, Zoro, and Nami saw that the Buggy Pirates started to chuckle darkly.

"Hey, why are they laughing?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"Their captain is lying dead on the ground and yet they're still laughing? What's going on?" Nami asked as Tarble decided to check his Scouter as he turned to Buggy's body parts.

"Fellas, what do you find so damn funny?" Zoro demanded as Tarble was shocked to see that Buggy's body parts were floating up as a knife was held in one of the floating hands before it flew fast over to Zoro.

"Zoro, look out!" Tarble yelled, but it was too late, the knife went right through Zoro's lower left side.

"Zoro!" Luffy and Tarble cried out in horror.

"Buggy's still alive!?" Nami screamed as Buggy pulled himself together as Zoro got down to his knees.

Buggy laughed at Zoro, "You should've listened to your monkey-tailed friend, he was right when he said I ate a Devil Fruit."

"What was that? What Devil Fruit did you eat?" Tarble asked while getting into fighting position in front of Zoro.

"The Chop-Chop Fruit, that's the name of the Devil Fruit that's given me my powers! I'm a Chop-Chop Person and now I can never be defeated by the sword!" Buggy explained before he started laughing while Nami looked like she was about to faint.

"His limbs... reattached!? I always thought Devil Fruits were just a story that pirates told!" Nami whispered in shock.

"So he's a Chop-Chop Man? That's pretty freaky." Luffy said still in the cage.

"Says the guy who's entire body is made out of rubber." Tarble thought still in front of Zoro.

"I didn't hit any vital organs, but that's a serious wound you have there! So I'm guessing that I'm the winner!" Buggy said with a wide grin while fingering his knife.

"I let my guard down, stupid mistake!" Zoro hissed while breathing her through gritted teeth.

"Just stay back Zoro, I'll handle this." Tarble said getting an energy blast ready, but then...

"Stabbing him in the back was a cowardly move... YOU BIG NOSE!" Luffy roared in rage as the Buggy Pirates froze with sweat pouring down their faces.

"What's with them?" Tarble asked in confusion, but then he saw that Buggy's eyes were wide with rage.

"What's that you said?" Buggy hissed dangerously before he yelled, "Who has a big nose!?" then he flew his hand and a knife at Luffy.

"Luffy!" Zoro and Tarble called out in panic, but then Luffy caught the knife with his teeth, taking Zoro, Tarble, and Nami by surprise, same with Buggy and the Buggy Pirates.

"I'm gonna kick your ass as soon as I get out of this cage!" Luffy declared before he broke the knife with his jaws, but Buggy wasn't intimidated by that at all.

Buggy just laughed before he declared, "In that case, I'll just kill you all with my own hands!"

Luffy just laughed, "I refuse to die!" then he looked at Tarble and the two of them just looked at each other with Luffy grinning.

Then Tarble nodded with his own grin as he said, "I understand Captain." then he turned to Zoro and helped him to his feet and then whispered something in his ear.

"You guys better have a good plan or else we're all dead! So what are you guys gonna do!? Nami yelled as Zoro grinned at both Tarble and Luffy.

"Right, let's do this." Zoro said as Nami looked baffled and was about ready to fall over.

"Ignorant fools, time to die!" Buggy yelled coming after Zoro again, but Zoro just sliced his way through as Buggy pulled himself together.

"Your three sword style has no effect on me! I've already told you...!" Buggy began, but he realized that Zoro was running over to the cannon, so he yelled, "Hey! Listen to me when I'm talking to you!" then he looked back and saw that Tarble was nowhere to be seen, so he asked, "Hey, where'd the monkey-tailed fool go?"

Then Zoro used his strength to push the cannon and aimed it at the Buggy Pirates direction as they screamed in fright, then Zoro yelled, "Now, Tarble, light the fuse!"

Tarble suddenly appeared and took Nami and the Buggy Pirates by surprise when he lit the fuse with a small energy blast from his finger as Buggy yelled, "What!? How did he do that!? Wait a minute, the cannon's still loaded with a Buggy Ball!"

Then the cannon fired the Buggy Ball at Buggy and the Buggy Pirates as Tarble, Zoro, and Nami ducked and covered their ears as the Buggy Ball exploded causing the crew to scream.

Soon Tarble and Zoro were on their feet with Zoro carrying the cage Luffy was still stuck in.

"You alright Zoro? How bad are you injured?" Luffy asked sounding concerned while Tarble looked at the swordsman in concern.

"Just shut up and don't worry about how I'm doing! I need to concentrate if I'm gonna get us out of this!" Zoro snapped, struggling under the weight of the cage, but then it was suddenly lifted off of him as he looked to see that Tarble took Luffy and the cage away from him.

"Don't worry, I've got this." Tarble said with a smile as Nami stared at the three of them in awe.

Zoro finally noticed her and asked, "Who's the girl?"

"Oh right, she's our new navigator." Luffy answered.

"Luffy she said she doesn't want to be a pirate, remember?" Tarble reminded his captain.

"I'm not so sure about that. Who are you guys anyway?" Nami asked nervously.

"Just a trio of pirates, that's all. Now, I've gotta get my friends out of here. You should get yourself to safety yourself." Tarble said as he carried Zoro with his free arm, despite the protest coming from the swordsman as Tarble walked away to safety as Nami kept watching them.

* * *

Looks like Luffy, Tarble, and Zoro were able to escape from Buggy the Clown Pirate, and managed to save their skins along with Nami. But are they really safe from the Buggy Pirates? Is this really just the beginning? The confrontation with the Buggy Pirates starts anew next time on The X-Pirates!


	6. Clash Against The Buggy Pirates (Part 1)

Last time on The X-Pirates, Luffy and Tarble landed in some sort of town, there they met Nami, a skilled navigator and a thief who steals from pirates only. Later, they met a pirate by the name of Buggy the Clown, and soon they were reunited with Zoro who sliced up Buggy into a bunch of pieces. But the real surprise came when Buggy pulled himself together and stabbed Zoro on his lower left side, it turns out that Buggy ate a Devil Fruit called the Chop-Chop Fruit, giving him the ability to fall apart and pull himself together at will. Tarble was lucky to get Luffy and Zoro to safety after some teamwork along with one of Buggy's Buggy Balls, but this is only the beginning.

Clash Against The Buggy Pirates (Part 1)

Tarble was carrying Luffy and Zoro away from the building where Buggy was located, then he stopped in front of a building and looked back.

"This should be far enough. We should be safe here for a little while." Tarble said as he set the cage containing Luffy down before he gently placed Zoro on the ground, then he said, "Okay, now to get Luffy out of that cage."

But before Tarble could break the cage open, he, Luffy, and Zoro saw a small white dog with beady black eyes standing in front of the building Tarble stopped at and looked back at them.

"Doggy." Luffy said happily before he rolled the cage over to the dog while Tarble took a closer look at the building to see that it was a Pet Shop while Luffy just kept staring at the dog who didn't move an inch, so he poked the dog a couple of times.

"Uh Luffy, what are you doing?" Tarble asked while sweat dropping.

Luffy turned to Tarble and Zoro and said, "Guys, this dog looks like it's frozen!"

Zoro was now resting against a pillar on the Pet Shop as he huffed while gasping for breath, "I don't give a damn, he can sit there forever for all I care."

"Luffy, leave the dog alone. I still need to get you out of that cage, and find a way to get Zoro healed up." Tarble reminded, but then the dog couldn't take it anymore and he suddenly bit Luffy in the face as Tarble and Zoro watched as Luffy screamed in pain as he tried to pull the dog off his face.

"Luffy, quit goofing around and get serious!" Zoro yelled before he collapsed due to blood loss as Tarble helped Luffy pull the dog off his face.

"Stupid dog." Luffy muttered while rubbing his face in pain.

"I don't feel so good." Zoro moaned as Tarble looked back at both of them while sweat dropping.

"What am I gonna do with you two?" Tarble asked himself before his Scouter went off, then he turned around to see Nami walking over to them as he said, "Hey Nami."

"Hi navigator." Luffy greeted cheerfully as Nami gave them a tired smile before she dropped an iron key in front of Luffy.

"I only did it so we'd be even, so now I don't owe you anything, so we're square, ok?" Nami said with the smile still on her face.

"Sure." Luffy said with a nod as he tried to reach for the key, but no one counted on the dog grabbing the key in his mouth as he swallowed it.

No one moved for a moment, but then Luffy lost it as he began to choke the dog as Tarble, Zoro, and Nami stared at him as he yelled, "You damn dog, that's not food! Give me that key! Give it back you stupid dog!"

"Luffy, hold on, just let me get you out okay!?" Tarble yelled as he grabbed a couple of the bars in his hands, then he pulled on the bars as Zoro and Nami turned to him.

"You can't just break him free using your bare hands." Nami said while sweat dropping, but then she and Zoro were surprised when they saw that Tarble pulled the bars out of the cage, then Tarble worked his way down until all of the bars on one side of the cage were completely gone.

"Okay, Luffy, you're free!" Tarble said, but he, Nami, and Zoro saw that Luffy wasn't paying attention as he kept strangling the dog.

"Hey, didn't you hear Tarble? You're free to get out of the cage!" Zoro told Luffy who kept choking the dog.

"Hey, stop that! Stop picking on poor Chou-Chou! Leave him alone!" Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, and Nami turned to see an old man with grey hair clustered together in three lumps and some brown armor over his street clothes.

"And who might you be old man?" Zoro asked rudely.

"Old man? Why I'm the Mayor of this town. Who are you and why are you hurting Chou-Chou?" the Mayor said sounding a bit irritated, but then he noticed Zoro's injury.

Luffy turned to see what Tarble did to the side of the cage as he yelled happily, "I'm free, thanks Tarble!"

"NOW YOU'VE NOTICED!?" Nami yelled angrily.

"Sure, no problem Luffy." Tarble said calmly while sweat dropping.

* * *

The Mayor took Zoro back to his place for some treatment while Luffy, Tarble, and Nami stayed with Chou-Chou when they saw the Mayor coming back over to them.

"How's Zoro doing?" Luffy asked while sitting on top of the cage.

The Mayor shrugged, "I told him he really should see a doctor, but he insisted that he didn't need to and just went to sleep it off."

"So, this dog's name is Chou-Chou?" Nami asked while petting the dog on the head while Luffy and Tarble looked at Chou-Chou.

"Why's he just sitting there like that? Sure is a lazy dog." Luffy asked the Mayor.

"He's guarding the store." the Mayor answered casually.

"He's guarding it?" Nami repeated in confusion.

"It's a Pet Food Shop." Tarble told her.

"That's right, and the man who used to run this shop was a very close friend of mine." the Mayor said as he placed a bowl of dog food down for Chou-Chou before he continued with, "He and Chou-Chou were really close to each other, the two of them did pretty much everything together, but then the owner died about three months ago because of an illness he had."

"Has he been waiting for his owner to come back all this time?" Nami asked sounding surprised as Luffy silently kept looking at the dog with his hat overshadowing his eyes.

"That seems like the most reasonable answer, I guess." Tarble agreed.

"It is, but I find that very hard to believe, Chou-Chou's a smart dog, he's probably known for a while that his master isn't coming back." the Mayor said while smoking a pipe.

"If he already knows that, then why does Chou-Chou stay here at this store?" Tarble asked in confusion.

"I guess because he's got a connection to it. It's his... treasure, he's guarding it. His master left him with this shop and that's why he protects it. I've tried to take him back to my place, but he won't take as much as a step away from the shop." the Mayor said with a hint of sadness in his voice as Luffy suddenly petted the dog on the head gently while Tarble and Nami saw a single small tear sliding down Luffy's cheek.

Suddenly, Tarble's Scouter beeped as he turned around and said, "Uh guys, looks like we've got company." that's when they heard a roar, then the ground started to shake and the Mayor knew right away who was coming their way.

"We need to run now! It's Beast Tamer Mohji, he's coming this way!" the Mayor yelled as he grabbed Nami's arm and then ran away with her, leaving Luffy, Tarble, and Chou-Chou behind.

"Come on puppy, something's here. Why don't you go with the old guy and Nami." Luffy said sounding a little sad still as Tarble looked ahead and saw that in front of them was a big lion with green fur and a light purple mane, on top of the lion was a man with some strange animal fur on him as well as... a hat with small animal ears on top of his head.

The man looked down at Luffy and Tarble with a smirk as he said, "I see that your friends have deserted you, and after you two just escaped."

Luffy looked up at the man and asked, "Who the heck are you?"

"I'm known as Beast Tamer Mohji, a member of the Buggy Pirates." Mohji answered with an ugly smirk on his face.

"Whoa, that's a weird looking animal suit you got on." Luffy said as he and Tarble looked at Mohji's head.

"That was rude! This is my hair!" Mohji yelled while pointing at his head.

"That's your hair?" Tarble asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, that's even weirder." Luffy said with a raised eyebrow while Tarble nodded in agreement.

"You two obviously don't know about my terrifying skill! There's no animal in this world that Beast Tamer Mohji can't bend to do his bidding!" Mohji said with a smug look as Tarble scanned him with his Scouter, but then Mohji yelled, "Look I have no interest in killing you two, tell me where Roronoa Zoro is before I change my mind!"

"No way." Luffy said bluntly.

"Like we'd ever tell you where Zoro is." Tarble agreed as Mohji finally lost his temper.

"That's it, I've had enough of both of you! Richie, attack these two already!" Mohji ordered the lion, now known as Richie who stomped on the cage while Luffy and Tarble jumped to dodge the attack.

"Missed us!" Luffy taunted, but then Richie smacked them both away with his front paws, sending them flying as they smashed into a house, breaking it into pieces.

Mohji smirked as he petted Richie on the head, "So much for the Straw Hat guy and the Monkey Boy, good work Richie."

* * *

Even after flying like that, Luffy and Tarble were both just fine.

"Man, that was intense." Luffy said to himself as he and Tarble stood up from the damage building under their feet.

"That's it, I've had enough of those Buggy Pirates doing whatever they want to this town, let's teach them a lesson they won't soon forget Luffy!" Tarble said seriously as Luffy nodded in agreement while they dusted themselves off.

"Yeah, and then I convince Nami to be the navigator of our crew!" Luffy added as Nami and the Mayor ran over to them.

Nami stared at Luffy and Tarble and demanded, "How did you two survive that attack?"

"You're alive!?" the Mayor cried out in shock.

"We just got lucky, I guess?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"Surviving an attack like that isn't normal, I figured you and your friend would be scattered all over." Nami pointed out still not believing that Luffy and Tarble got lucky.

"Not normal?" Luffy and Tarble asked at the same time.

"Why exactly did you two decide to come to this town? And how did you two get involved with those pirates?" the Mayor suddenly asked.

"All I'm doing is searching for that chart of the Grand Line, and then a good navigator to join my pirate crew!" Luffy answered with a silly grin on his face as Nami kept staring at him.

Tarble suddenly smelled something burning as he looked ahead to see smoke in the air and he realized what was burning as he yelled, "Oh no, Chou-Chou!" then he suddenly flew into the air and flew back over to Chou-Chou, shocking Luffy, Nami, and the Mayor.

"WOOOOOOOOW! TARBLE NEVER TOLD ME HE COULD FLY!" Luffy yelled happily with sparkles in his eyes.

"He has a tail, he can shoot things from his hands, and now he can fly? Just who the hell is that guy!?" Nami asked in shock.

Luffy turned to her with a grin and said, "He's an alien known as a Saiyan."

"He's an alien!?" the Mayor cried in shock while Nami's eyes were wide and her jaw dropped.

"All this time, we've been talking to an alien?" Nami asked herself as she and Luffy turned back to the spot where they last saw Tarble.

* * *

Tarble was in the air when he made it back to the Pet Shop, but he saw that it was on fire as he saw Chou-Chou standing in front of it with some cuts on his body probably because he fought to protect the store... his treasure as Chou-Chou howled miserably.

"Damn it, that store was the only thing Chou-Chou had to remind him of his master, his close friend! Mohji will pay for this!" Tarble growled before he flew off to find Mohji and Richie.

It didn't take long for Tarble to find Mohji and Richie walking down the street as he yelled, "Hold it right there Mohji!" then he landed in front of the lion and saw a box of pet food in Richie's mouth as Mohji stared down at him in surprise.

"Wait, I thought I killed you and your friend. What are you doing still alive?" Mohji demanded.

"I'm a Saiyan, it'll take a lot more than that to get rid of me that easily." Tarble answered while glaring at the beast tamer who grunted in anger.

"Richie, get him! Make that Monkey Boy your next meal!" Mohji yelled as Richie dropped the pet food box and charged towards Tarble who just stood in his place as Richie raised his paw and got ready to slash Tarble with his claws, but he and Mohji didn't count on Tarble catching the paw with just his hands, so Richie tried his other front paw, but Tarble caught that using only his tail shocking Mohji and Richie once more.

"Big mistake, now it's my turn!" Tarble grunted before he lifted Richie into the air, causing Mohji to fall off his lion before Tarble twirled Richie around very fast, causing the lion to get very dizzy before Tarble threw him into the air as Tarble flew after him as he got even higher than Richie, then he kicked Richie in the back of the head, sending the lion crashing down to the ground, knocking him out cold, shocking Mohji even more as Tarble landed in front of the beast tamer.

"What... what are you!?" Mohji demanded in terror as Tarble gave Mohji a cold glare.

"Like I told you earlier, I'm a Saiyan warrior!" Tarble answered as Mohji got on his knees.

"Please, I'm sorry! I don't want any trouble, I was just following orders!" Mohji begged.

"It's too late for that! Now because of you, Chou-Chou will never get the Pet Store back, it was all he had to remind him of his master, it was his treasure! You and the rest of your crew will pay for that and for what you're doing to this peaceful town! This is for Chou-Chou!" Tarble yelled before he gave Mohji a fast and hard punch to the face that sent the beast tamer flying away from the area, then Tarble threw Richie in the same direction as fast and hard as he punched Mohji.

"Prepare yourself Buggy, me, Luffy, and Zoro are coming for you and the rest of your crew next." Tarble said to himself before he walked over to pick up the box of pet food that Richie dropped and then he started to fly back to the Pet Store.

* * *

Luffy, Nami, and the Mayor saw that the Pet Store was now nothing but a pile of burnt wood then they turned to watch Chou-Chou sadly as he looked at what remained of the Pet Store.

"Tarble, you better get that guy and that lion for what they did!" Luffy thought while glaring at the burning wood.

"Pirates are all the same." Luffy turned to Nami who was glaring at the remains as she said softly but angrily, "They're all just a bunch of heartless bastards."

"Nami." Luffy said softly, but that only made Nami glare at him.

"They destroy everything that people hold dear without giving it a second thought." Nami said still glaring at Luffy who covered his eyes with his hat, that's when Tarble landed on the ground.

"Tarble?" Luffy asked as Tarble just turned to him and nodded before he walked over to Chou-Chou, that's when Nami turned her attention to the Saiyan.

"Oh, you're alive. You know, I thought for sure that lion was gonna tear your head off and end it all, and even rip that tail of yours clean off your back." Nami said almost mockingly, then she got a look of pure hatred as she shouted, "And I wished he had because then there'd be one less pirate in the world!"

"Hey, don't yell at Tarble like that! You don't know what he did, he didn't do that to the doggy's treasure!" Luffy yelled, defending Tarble before he began to walk over to Chou-Chou as well.

"Maybe I should kill you both right now before you can gather a crew and destroy everything else!" Nami yelled before she began to run over to Luffy, but the Mayor was holding her back.

"Come now, there's no need for violence!" the Mayor tried, but Nami wouldn't listen as she tried to break free.

"As if you could ever kill me and Tarble." Luffy muttered as he and Tarble kept walking over to Chou-Chou.

"Well, maybe I'll try it and see!" Nami screamed in anger.

"I said stop! What's with you people!?" the Mayor yelled, but then he and Nami froze when they saw Tarble gently placing the box of pet food in front of Chou-Chou before he and Luffy sat next to the dog.

"Is that all you could save for the doggy?" Luffy asked Tarble softly.

"I'm afraid so." Tarble answered, then he turned to Chou-Chou, petted his head as he said, "Sorry boy, but that lion ate the rest of it."

Chou-Chou didn't move a muscle as he kept staring at the food in front of him, but then Luffy said to him, "I can tell you gave it your all to protect the store."

Chou-Chou still didn't react, but he picked the box up and started to walk away, but then he turned back to Luffy and Tarble and barked at them happily.

Like he understood what Chou-Chou was saying, Luffy smiled and said, "Thanks! Good luck to you too doggy!"

"Keep the good times you had with your master in your mind! Stay strong Chou-Chou!" Tarble smiled like he understood what Chou-Chou was trying to say as well as Chou-Chou barked some more before he walked away to who-knows-where.

The Mayor let Nami go, she wasn't angry anymore as she stared at Luffy and Tarble, then she slowly walked over to them until she was just a few feet away from Luffy.

No one said anything for a moment, until Nami finally spoke with some regret in her voice, "Sorry about earlier... for thinking... you and your friend were like them."

Luffy smiled at her and calmly said, "That's okay, you've been under a lot of stress lately." that was enough to put a soft smile on Nami's face.

"I've had people yell at me like that when I was a child, so it's okay." Tarble said with a smile of his own while he and Luffy stood up and dusted off their clothes.

"You don't have to apologize Nami." Luffy said.

"I'm pathetic!" the Mayor said as Luffy, Tarble, and Nami turned to see the Mayor shaking all over either out of fear or anger as he said, "Chou-Chou and the young one with the tail have fought so hard and yet, I... the Mayor, have done nothing but sit back and watch our town be obliterated by Buggy and his despicable crew!"

"Please calm down!" Nami yelled as she, Tarble, and Luffy ran over to try and calm the Mayor down.

"I can't, me and the other villagers who live here have built this town forty years ago, it was nothing but a barren stretch of land, but we came through together to build it into the nice town it is today! Here, this town is our treasure!" the Mayor proclaimed, but then another Buggy Ball suddenly fired, destroying yet another row of houses.

"Wait a minute, Zoro was sleeping in one of those houses!" Tarble yelled with wide eyes, widening Luffy's eyes as well.

"I'm sure he's dead by now." the Mayor said with regret.

"Zoro, you in there!? Are you still alive!?" Luffy yelled sounding like he was panicking, but through the smoke and rubble, they saw Zoro sitting up, rubbing his head sleepily.

"That's one hell of a way to wake a guy up." Zoro muttered darkly while Luffy was all happy to see that Zoro was still alive while Tarble sighed in relief as Zoro continued with, "Damn, I was hoping to catch a few more Z's."

"How did you survive that blast!?" Nami asked herself more than Zoro who walked over to them.

"That's it, I refuse to let him get away with this! I won't stand for it, I can't let that scumbag destroy all that my people worked for these last forty years! I am the Mayor of this town, I will protect it and its inhabitants! This I swear to my dying breath!" the Mayor yelled as he marched over to deal with Buggy, but Nami was holding him back.

"Wait, you don't stand a chance against those pirates!" Nami told the Mayor.

"I know that, and I don't care, I'm going to fight anyway!" the Mayor declared as he got free from Nami's grip before he ran over to find Buggy as he yelled, "I'm coming for you, Buggy the Clown!"

"Looks like the party's getting more exciting." Zoro said as Nami turned to him, Luffy, and Tarble.

"Sure does." Luffy laughed.

"This is no time for laughter!" Nami told the three pirates, clearly sounding upset, but Luffy was still smiling at her.

"Don't worry, I started to grow fond of that old man, there's no way I'd let him die!" Luffy reassured Nami.

"I'm not gonna let the Mayor die either!" Tarble agreed while walking ahead.

"Well, in that case." Zoro said without a little care as he started to walk after the Mayor.

"You're going too!? But you're hurt!" Nami reminded him as Zoro tied his bandana on his head.

Zoro smirked evilly, "Yeah, so what? The injury to my reputation is a lot worse than the injury to my gut."

"Well, if we want to get to the Grand Line, we'd better go and get that chart from Buggy." Tarble said while looking at the spot where they saw the Mayor take off.

Luffy nodded at Tarble before he turned to Nami, held out his hand and said, "You gonna join the crew or what? Come on."

Nami stared at his hand in surprise, then she finally said, "I'll never sink so low as to become a pirate." she slapped Luffy's hand away, but then she said, "But I suppose we could team up, in order to achieve our common goals."

Luffy just grinned happily as he said, "Let's go!"

"Aye-Aye, Captain." Tarble nodded before the four of them ran after the Mayor.

* * *

By the time they caught up with the Mayor, he was being strangled by Buggy's disembodied hand, then Luffy forced him to let go.

"How dare you? You can't just waltz up and treat me like this, I'm Captain Buggy and I won't stand for this!" Buggy yelled furiously.

"Listen to me, all I want is the chart and the treasure and then I'm outta here, got it?" Nami told Luffy, Tarble, and Zoro.

"Yeah, I got it." Zoro said unconcerned while Tarble just nodded his head.

"What are you doing here!? Stay out of this, this is my town and I'll fight Buggy the Clown alone! The four of you have no business here, so just stay out of this!" the Mayor yelled until Luffy suddenly slammed him into a nearby wall and knocked him out.

"Uh, Luffy..." Tarble sweat dropped at what Luffy just did.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!? Why'd you knock out the Mayor!?" Nami yelled at Luffy.

"Because he was in the way." Luffy simply said.

"That's not a bad idea, if the old man had continued to fight, he would've died. It's for the best." Zoro agreed.

"Yeah, but you didn't have to hit him like that." Tarble said still sweat dropping.

Luffy took a deep breath before he yelled, "HEY BIG NOSE!"

That was enough to make Buggy really angry as he yelled, "Men, prepare a special Buggy Ball for this pest!"

"We'd better get going!" Tarble said as Zoro and Nami agreed, but Luffy stayed where he was, just as the Buggy Ball was fired at him.

"**Gum-Gum Balloon!**" Luffy suddenly inflated himself like a balloon to catch the Buggy Ball and send it right back at the Buggy Pirates, shocking everyone around him as the Buggy Pirates got caught in an explosion.

"Whoa, I didn't know Luffy could do that." Tarble whispered in shock.

"You could've warned me." Zoro muttered while Nami gaped at him like a fish out of water.

"Alright, I got'em!" Luffy yelled proudly.

"What the hell kind of monster are you!?" Nami screamed at Luffy who turned to her.

"I think you freaked her out." Zoro told Luffy coolly.

"I'm a Rubber Man. See?" Luffy said before he stretched his cheeks apart, taking Nami by surprise once again.

"First an alien and now a Rubber Man?" Nami asked herself, but then Tarble's Scouter beeped once again as he looked at the rubble that used to be the building the Buggy Pirates were standing on top of.

"It's not over yet, look." Tarble said as they saw the Buggy survived by using his own men as a shield, that made Tarble mad as he yelled, "Hiding behind your crew and using them as a shield was a cowardly move Buggy!"

"I see, not only do I get to deal with this so-called Saiyan Mohji told me about, but I'm also dealing with a Rubber Man as well? What a treat, and it's not even my Birthday. Cabaji!" Buggy called as someone got up from behind Richie who was also used as a shield for a man with his hair covering half of his face, a large blue and white checkered scarf that was covering the lower portion of his face and flowed down the front of his body, and he was also riding a unicycle.

The man known as Cabaji was now speeding over to try and attack Luffy with his sword, but Zoro got in the way while taking out his own swords as Zoro turned to Luffy and Tarble and said, "Stay back you two, he's mine."

"He's all yours Zoro." Luffy said stepping back.

"Go for it." Tarble said also stepping back.

"But he's still injured!" Nami yelled, but no one heard her.

"Roronoa Zoro, perfect, I've always wanted to fight against the like of you." Cabaji smirked.

"Tough talk, let's see if you can back it up." Zoro said getting ready to fight.

* * *

The big confrontation against the Buggy Pirates has now begun with Zoro facing off against Cabaji. Who will win this sword fight? Can Zoro pull through even with his wound? Who will this big confrontation between pirates? Find out next time on The X-Pirates!


	7. Clash Against The Buggy Pirates (Part 2)

Previously on The X-Pirates, Luffy and Tarble met a dog by the Name of Chou-Chou, then they had a run-in with a member of the Buggy Pirates named Beast Tamer Mohji. Seeing what Mohji and his lion, Richie, did to the Pet Store that Chou-Chou was guarding, Tarble knocked both Mohji and Richie away all for Chou-Chou. The Mayor of the town finally snapped and went off to fight Buggy and his pirate crew by himself, but Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, and even Nami wouldn't let him die for the town, so they went after him too. Now, the confrontation with the Buggy Pirates continues!

Clash Against The Buggy Pirates (Part 2)

Cabaji and Zoro clashed their swords against each other, then Cabaji noticed Zoro's injury, then he used some acrobatic technique and breathed out fire to distract Zoro, then he kicked his injury, causing Zoro to yell in pain.

"I can see that this guy likes to play dirty." Tarble thought while glaring at Cabaji as the sword fight went on, Cabaji kept going for Zoro's injury.

"He's playing dirty! Hey, why are the two of you just standing there watching!? Go help him out!" Nami demanded while Luffy and Tarble didn't answer her, nor did they look at her, they just kept watching the battle unfold.

"You annoying little bastard, you having fun poking at my wound?" Zoro growled threateningly, his eyes looked dangerous as he cried out, "Go ahead!"

Cabaji then rode his unicycle at full speed towards Zoro who didn't move from where he was standing as Cabaji stabbed him in the same place Buggy did, ripping the bandages off, but Zoro wasn't gonna back down anytime soon.

"That enough of a handicap for you, Circus Freak? I refuse to bring myself to lose to ANYONE who calls himself a swordsman!" Zoro told Cabaji despite the wound on his gut.

"Yeah, you tell him Zoro!" Luffy cheered while Tarble gave the swordsman a thumbs-up.

"Oh I give up, there's no point in sticking around here anymore, so I'm outta here." Nami said while walking away, but then she turned to Luffy and Tarble and said, "We should team up again if we meet again, later." then she walked away.

"Okay, bye." Luffy said happily.

"Be careful out there!" Tarble warned with a little wave.

"I admire your determination, Roronoa Zoro, but now you shall taste the sting of my ultimate acrobat technique!" Cabaji yelled as he suddenly rode his unicycle up a building, then he was above Zoro with his sword pointed at him, ready to strike him down.

Buggy smirked and held his hand out as he yelled, "**Chop-Chop Cannon!**" then he launched his hand towards Zoro as he yelled, "Cabaji, I'll hold him down so you can finish him off!"

Then suddenly Luffy stepped on Buggy's hand to stop him as Zoro used his swords to block Cabaji's attack before the two swordsmen backed away from each other as Luffy yelled at Buggy, "This is Zoro's fight, don't interfere! If you want to fight someone so badly... then fight me!" that's when he let Buggy's hand come back to him.

Cabaji smirked at Zoro, "I can assure you, I don't need my captain's help to defeat you."

Zoro brought his third sword out as he said, "You really think so? Well, we'll just see about that."

"DIE!" Cabaji yelled while charging towards Zoro who got ready for one last attack.

"**Oni... Giri!**" Zoro easily slashed Cabaji with all three of his swords.

Tarble whistled in awe, "Nice one Zoro."

"I can't believe the Buggy Pirates were defeated by petty thieves." Cabaji croaked out before he lost consciousness.

"We aren't petty thieves!" Zoro growled before he collapsed, then he added with a little bit of a flat voice, "We're pirates!"

Buggy growled angrily, "Fire a Buggy Ball at those three!" as some of the Buggy Pirates aimed the cannon filled with a Buggy Ball at Luffy, Tarble, and Zoro before they fired it.

"I'll just send it right back at you!" Luffy grinned, but then Tarble suddenly appeared in front of Luffy and pushed him back a bit.

"Tarble, what are you doing?" Luffy asked in confusion, Tarble didn't answer but he brought his leg behind him, grunted a bit as his leg was surrounded by a purple aura.

"Huh, now what's that guy up to?" Buggy asked in confusion while Nami, who was trying to find the chart of the Grand Line and Buggy's treasure, stopped to look at Tarble as well.

"I'm not gonna let you blow this town up anymore Buggy!" Tarble yelled as he used his aura fueled leg to kick the Buggy Ball straight up into the air as the Buggy Ball actually left the Earth and exploded in space as the Buggy Pirates, Zoro, and Nami looked at Tarble with wide eyes, Luffy looked at him with wide eyes as well, but with a big grin on his face as well as Tarble's foot lost the aura around it as he yelled, "And I'll do it again if you fire another one of those Buggy Balls!"

"Man, Tarble, warn me the next time you do something like that." Zoro said silently.

"It's official, he's definitely not from Earth." Nami whispered to herself before she went back to finding Buggy's treasure and the chart of the Grand Line.

"Luffy... Tarble... I'm going to sleep." Zoro croaked out.

"Rest up Zoro, Tarble and I will take care of everything else here." Luffy smiled at Zoro who just went to sleep, then Luffy turned to Buggy and yelled, "Listen, I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"

Buggy snorted angrily after hearing that before he yelled, "Oh yeah!? If you're gonna be King of the Pirates, then that would make me a God!"

"I seriously doubt that." Tarble thought to himself, but Buggy wasn't done.

"Listen here you twerp, I'm the one who's gonna be King of the Pirates!" Buggy yelled as he brought knives out.

"**Gum-Gum Pistol!**" Luffy stretched his fist out over to Buggy.

"**Chop-Chop Quick Escape!**" Buggy's head quickly came off the shoulders just avoiding Luffy's Gum-Gum Pistol as Buggy laughed as his head reattached to his body, "So Straw Hat, you've eaten one of the Devil Fruits as well, AND you have a strong Monkey Boy with you? Very good..." then Buggy brought some knives out along with some knives popping out of his shoes as he finished with, "But not good enough, I'm afraid. **Chop-Chop Cannon!**" then Buggy fired his hands out towards Luffy and Tarble as they both dodged the attacks.

"This is for the town!" Tarble yelled as he charged towards Buggy.

"Nice try Monkey Boy! **Chop-Chop Quick Escape!**" Buggy removed his head again, but Tarble punched Buggy in the gut, causing him to double over in pain as Buggy grunted, "That monkey-tailed freak punches like a gorilla, if not, even harder than a gorilla!"

"Good one Tarble, now it's my turn! **Gum-Gum Whip!**" Luffy used his Gum-Gum Whip to kick Buggy towards a nearby building, then Luffy cheered, "Yeah, I got him!"

"Don't celebrate just yet Luffy, look, he's getting back up." Tarble said while looking at his Scouter as Buggy got back up and he was glaring at both Luffy and Tarble.

"You blasted Straw Hat and Monkey, now you've really pissed me off!" Buggy yelled before throwing a knife at Luffy, scratching him on his face, but it also got the straw hat Luffy was wearing as Buggy yelled, "Ha, got Straw Hat! Now for Monkey Boy!"

"Luffy!" Tarble yelled, but then he saw that Luffy was growling angrily as he looked at the damage done to his hat, even though it was just a tiny nick on the rim, Luffy turned to glare at Buggy as Tarble asked, "Uh, Luffy, are you okay?"

"You bastard, you hurt my hat! How dare you damage my one treasure!?" Luffy yelled at Buggy as Nami watched with a bag full of treasure behind her.

"Treasure you say?" Buggy asked before he laughed, "Give me a break! Treasure amounts to gold and silver! An old straw hat like that isn't considered treasure!" the Buggy got a sinister look on his face as he said, "However... if it's that important to you... YOU SHOULD PROTECT IT!" then he threw three knives at the hat.

"Don't you dare!" Luffy growled dangerously, but before the knives could get the hat, an arm got in the way and took the knives for Luffy and his straw hat, shocking Buggy, the Buggy Pirates, Nami, and even Luffy as they saw that Tarble had the knives on his arm, causing little trails of blood to drip down to the ground as Luffy cried out in concern, "TARBLE!"

"Monkey Boy!" Buggy cried in shock.

"Why did he do that!?" Nami thought while looking at the knives still on Tarble's bleeding arm.

"Listen here Buggy, that hat means to Luffy than anything else on this planet, so I'll do everything I can to keep you from damaging it even more! I WON'T LET YOU DO ANYTHING TO MY CAPTAIN'S TREASURE!" Tarble yelled angrily before he pulled all three knives off his arm at once.

"T-T-Tarble." Luffy chocked out looking between his hat and Tarble's bleeding arm.

"Don't worry Luffy, this won't be enough to kill me, after all, I'm a Saiyan." Tarble smirked while looking at Buggy.

Then Buggy's upper half floated off his lower half with more knives in his hands, then he flew over to Nami as he yelled, "NAMI, DROP MY TREASURE RIGHT NOW!" but just as he got close to Nami, Luffy kicked his unguarded lower half, right in the family jewels, and pretty hard enough to make Tarble wince as Buggy screamed in pain before he croaked out, "Ooh, right in the family jewels! What was that for, you bastard?"

"That was for my hat." Luffy said seriously, then he picked up Buggy's lower half and yelled, "And this is for stabbing Tarble in the arm!" then he threw the lower half over to Tarble and yelled, "Tarble, head's up!" then Tarble kicked Buggy's lower half hard, sending it crashing into Buggy's upper half, but Tarble wasn't done, so he kicked Buggy down to the ground as Luffy ran over to both Tarble and Nami.

"Thanks, you two really saved my ass back there." Nami said sweetly.

Luffy grinned at her, "Sure, no problem."

Buggy reattached himself as he growled at Luffy, Tarble, and Nami, "That's it, I'm done messing around! No one has made me this angry except for a pirate by the name of Shanks!"

That got Luffy's attention as he said, "Shanks? He's the one who gave me my hat."

"Oh did he? No wonder I get so angry whenever I look at that piece of crap." Buggy said while glaring at the hat on Luffy's head, making Luffy angry again.

"You know him?" Luffy asked.

"We used to be on the same ship as pirate cadets, he always wore that hat wherever he goes. It's thanks to him that I was able to get my Chop-Chop powers! I had a map revealing some treasure under the water, but he came out of nowhere causing me to accidentally swallow the Chop-Chop Fruit I was gonna sell! So I've decided, if I can't get any treasure underwater, I'll go for all of the treasure on dry land! But as long as I live, I'll never forgive Shanks for what happened all those years ago!" Buggy yelled, just before he got punched in the face by a very angry Luffy.

"Don't you dare talk about Shanks like that! He was a better man than you'll ever be!" Luffy growled angrily.

"Whoa, I've never seen Luffy this angry before." Tarble thought.

"At first, he smiles without a care in the world, and the next, he gets so mad about someone wrecking his hat and having his friend injured. And here I thought nothing fazes him." Nami thought before he ran away with the treasure.

"I'm gonna tear that hat apart until there's nothing left of it! **Chop-Chop Separate!**" Buggy then broke apart into several smaller pieces, making it harder to hit him, then Buggy's head and hands grabbed the bag of treasure Nami was carrying as he yelled, "Give me back my treasure!"

"Hey, let go of my treasure!" Nami yelled as they tried to get the treasure back.

"What do you mean your treasure!? It's mine you bitch!" Buggy yelled angrily.

"Tarble now!" Luffy suddenly yelled before he and Tarble gave Buggy's head a good punch, it was enough to rip the treasure bag open, and enough to knock Buggy out a little.

"You might want to get a new bag to put all the treasure in Nami." Tarble said but then Buggy woke up and he was really mad.

"Now I'm REALLY pissed off! Come to me, Body Parts!" Buggy yelled as he began to pull himself together, but he only got some parts of his body as he asked, "Huh, what happened to my parts?"

"Looking for these?" Nami asked as she had the rest of Buggy's parts all tied up.

"Nice one Nami, now it's my turn!" Luffy yelled before he stretched his arms back far before he yelled, "**Gum-Gum Bazooka!**" then he pushed his arms forward very fast, sending Buggy the Clown flying far away from the town.

* * *

Luffy held his hat in his hands and looked at the damage done to it, even though it was just a little bit, then he looked at Tarble and his bleeding arm.

"Sorry I couldn't stop Buggy from scratching your hat Luffy." Tarble apologized.

"You shouldn't have done that. Why did you take the hit for my hat?" Luffy asked sounding a bit mad.

"You said that it was your treasure, and a friend of yours named Shanks left it with you, so it was just a force of habit of mine to keep Buggy from damaging it even further." Tarble explained.

"But you still got hurt doing so." Luffy said as he and Tarble looked at the bleeding arm.

"This isn't gonna kill me Luffy, Saiyans like me can handle pain like this." Tarble said while holding up his injured arm as Nami walked over to them.

"You know, I can fix that hat for you." Nami quietly offered Luffy, then she turned to Tarble and added, "Plus I can wrap that up for you."

"Really? Thanks Nami." Luffy said with a grin, then he and Tarble were confused when they saw Nami hold out the chart of the Grand Line to them.

"This is just my way of saying thanks for saving me." Nami said as Luffy happily took the chart.

"So does that mean you'll join my crew?" Luffy asked happily.

"I told you before, no matter what, I'll never join a pirate crew!" Nami said firmly, but then she got a small smile on her face as she said, "But... alright. Hanging around with you seems profitable enough. But just remember this, I'm only joining you, because it's in my interest."

"Yeah, we've finally got a navigator!" Luffy cheered happily while Tarble walked over to Zoro, who was still sleeping.

"Zoro, it's time to wake up. We need to keep going." Tarble said, shaking Zoro a little as Tarble saw that Zoro looked a little sick from his own injury.

"Hey, you three!" Luffy, Tarble, and Nami, who had Buggy's treasure in two separate bags, turned to see a bunch of town residents looking ready to fight in front of them as one of them demanded, "What happened here? Where's Buggy the Clown?"

"Oh, sorry, but you just missed him. He won't be coming back for quite a while." Tarble answered as one of the citizens saw the Mayor on the ground, knocked out.

"The Mayor's knocked out! Just who are you!?" the citizens demanded.

"Oh, us? Well... uh... the thing is..." Nami tried to explain, but luck was not on her side.

"We're pirates." Luffy answered right away making the citizens glare at them.

"Oh, now I get it! It was YOU who destroyed our town and knocked out the Mayor!" one of the citizens yelled.

"Let's get those pirates!" the citizens yelled.

"Luffy, I know you probably didn't mean to, but you've just turned the whole town against us." Tarble said as Luffy hoisted Zoro up while Nami got the two bags of treasure with her as the three of them ran off with the villagers chasing them.

"That's just great! Why did you have to go and open your big mouth like that!?" Nami demanded as they kept running.

"This is a good town!" Luffy said with a smile, confusing Tarble and Nami.

"Luffy, what are you talking about?" Tarble asked in confusion.

"Everyone's so mad because of the old Mayor guy. Something tells me that they aren't gonna listen to our side of the story." Luffy said before they made a sharp turn into an alleyway, they were surprised to see Chou-Chou waiting for them as they jumped over the dog who barked at the citizens of the town causing them to stop in confusion.

"Chou-Chou, what's he doing here?" Nami asked looking back at the barking dog.

"He's helping us escape. He's repaying us for what we did for him." Tarble smiled at Chou-Chou as they kept getting further and further away from him and the citizens.

"Thanks Doggy!" Luffy yelled to the dog.

* * *

Soon the four of them made it to the docks where they saw their boat next to another boat with the mark of the Buggy Pirates on the sail and now the four of them left with Nami on the Buggy Boat and Luffy, Tarble, and Zoro back on their little boat.

"So, you stole that boat from some of the Buggy Pirates?" Tarble asked Nami while looking at the bigger boat.

"Yep, those pirates were so easy to fool." Nami answered while sticking her tongue out.

"Well, at least we're getting somewhere now that we have a navigator with us." Zoro said after he woke up from his slumber.

"HEY, WAIT YOUNG ONES!" Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, and Nami looked back to see the Mayor on the docks without his armor on him.

"It's the old Mayor guy." Luffy said as they looked at him carefully.

"I wonder what he wants? He should be glad to see us take off, seeing as how we're three pirates and a skilled thief who steals from pirates." Tarble pointed out before he looked carefully and he saw that tears of joy were running down the Mayor's face as Tarble said, "He's... crying?"

"THANKS! THANK YOU!" the Mayor cried happily as Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, and Nami grinned at him.

"Don't worry about it!" Luffy called back.

"Take it easy Mayor!" Tarble called back while waving, but then Nami realized something.

"What happened to one of my bags of treasure!?" Nami demanded, then she looked at Luffy and yelled, "Did you leave back at the docks!?"

"Yep, the old Mayor guy and the villagers are gonna need it to rebuild their town." Luffy answered happily.

"But that bag had about 5 million berries worth of treasure in it, and I stole it fair and square!" Nami yelled as she tried to push Luffy's head down into the water.

"Nami, what are you doing!? I can't swim!" Luffy yelled while struggling to get out of Nami's grip.

"That's the whole point!" Nami yelled still trying to drown Luffy.

"If you want it back that badly, just go get it!" Luffy argued.

"You're the idiot who left it behind, so you go get it!" Nami yelled, then she remembered Tarble as she turned to him and yelled, "Hey, you can fly, go and get my treasure back!"

"What!? I can't do that, they need that money to fix their town!" Tarble yelled.

"YOU GET THAT TREASURE BACK RIGHT NOW OR I'LL RIP THAT TAIL OFF YOUR BACK!" Nami threatened making Tarble hold his tail as he glared at Nami.

"You do and you'll be sorry!" Tarble yelled as Zoro laughed at all three of them as they kept sailing.

* * *

Well, they've freed the town from the Buggy Pirates, and they've got Nami tagging along as well, but they'd better watch their backs with her around. Who knows what kind of enemies they'll face in the next island they go to? Will they make another friend? Is there a foe that can give Tarble a challenge? The journey continues next time on The X-Pirates!


	8. Usopp, The Honorable Liar?

Last time on The X-Pirates, Zoro was able to defeat Cabaji, despite his injuries. Soon, Luffy was facing off against Buggy, Devil Fruit against Devil Fruit so to speak. Soon, Buggy revealed that he once knew Shanks, the pirate who gave Luffy the straw hat, and that he blamed him for what happened in the past that gave Buggy the powers of the Chop-Chop Fruit. Luffy finally had enough and sent Buggy flying away with a Gum-Gum Bazooka. Now with Nami as the navigator, Luffy and his pirate crew set out once again to accomplish their goals!

Usopp, The Honorable Liar?

The two boats were sailing away with Luffy sitting at the bow of his boat enjoying an apple while Zoro was sleeping behind him, in the other boat, Nami just finished wrapping some bandages on Tarble's arm, that's when Nami looked annoyed.

"There's absolutely no way we're gonna make it to the Grand Line in this condition!" Nami said with deep annoyance as the other three looked at her.

"You're right, we're gonna need a whole lot more meat." Luffy said with the apple he was eating was nothing more than just an apple core before he ate it and added, "Eating fruit every day is for the birds."

"We'll also need some booze too." Zoro added as Nami got angry and threw an apple at him as Luffy stretched his arm out to catch it.

"Guys, I don't think that's what Nami meant. If we're gonna go to the Grand Line, we're gonna need more than just booze and meat to survive." Tarble said while sweat dropping.

"Not to mention that place is crawling with pirates who are also in search of the One Piece! And they all have ships that are better than this!" Nami yelled still pretty annoyed.

"And we don't have a crew." Luffy admitted with a mouth full of apple.

"We don't have a crew, we don't have any equipment, or even a real ship for that matter! There's no way we'll ever make it like this!" Nami yelled.

"I don't know, I could easily fly over to the Grand Line, no problem." Tarble said, earning him a smack on the head from Nami.

"Well WE can't fly the way you can, we're not crazy powerful aliens like you if you hadn't noticed!" Nami yelled while Tarble held his head in pain.

"We'll need a cook and a musician to keep us entertained." Luffy said happily.

"A musician?" Zoro questioned before he laughed.

"So stupid." Nami muttered to herself.

"Why a musician?" Tarble asked in confusion.

"Well, pirates love to sing and dance." Luffy answered happily.

"What we really need is another fighter in the crew, sure I'm a Saiyan, Luffy's a Rubber Person, and Zoro's a very talented swordsman, but we can only face off against so much. I'll need a sparing partner to keep me in tip-top shape if I'm ever gonna be the strongest Saiyan ever and redeem the Saiyan name." Tarble pointed out while Nami went back to looking at her maps.

Once she realized where they were, she told Luffy, Tarble, and Zoro, "A little to the south of here is a small island with some settlements on it, an it looks like we might be able to get a ship and some of the supplies we need there."

"Yeah, fresh meat at last!" Luffy cheered happily.

"And lots of booze there as well." Zoro said with a wide smile on his face.

"Is that all you think about!?" Nami yelled at the two of them while Tarble sighed and smacked his forehead.

"What are we gonna do with those two?" Nami asked Tarble.

"I asked myself the same thing after our first encounter with Buggy and his crew." Tarble sighed as they kept sailing.

* * *

Soon, the four of them have finally reached another island that Nami pointed out as they docked their boats on a rocky shoreline leading up a steep hill.

"Well, we're here." Tarble said as they got off the boats.

"It feels good to be on dry land again." Zoro said while stretching.

"So there's a village around here somewhere, right?" Luffy asked Nami.

Nami nodded, "Yeah, it looks like a small one though."

"Ooh, then that means meat! There has to be a place to eat meat in this village!" Luffy yelled happily while drooling a bit as he looked at the map Nami was holding.

"Just forget about the meat for a moment, would ya!?" Nami snapped while pushing Luffy away.

"Stop it you guys, you're making me hungry." Tarble sighed with a hand on his stomach, then his Scouter suddenly went off, then the four of them something rustle up on the cliff as Zoro's hands went to his swords.

"Careful, we're being watched." Zoro told the other three while Tarble got into fighting position.

"By who? Where are they? They got meat?" Luffy asked while looking around eagerly then something came flying off the cliff and after Luffy.

"Watch out!" Tarble and Zoro yelled at Luffy who did a silly dance to dodge the attacks as one of them went after Tarble, but he easily caught it with his hand while Nami ran to hide behind one of the boats.

Just after the shots were fired, multiple pirate flags rose up from the bushes and trees around the upper cliff with the same design on them, a skull and crossbones with the skull's mouth opened up in an 'O' shape.

"THAT'S SO COOL!" Luffy yelled while waving his arms in excitement.

"Is this where we're supposed to be impressed!?" Nami yelled in frustration just before they heard a laugh from above them, causing them to look up.

"Who are you?" Tarble asked carefully at what he saw, it was a black haired teenager with a long nose.

"I am Usopp, leader of the invincible nation of pirates who rein over this island! You stand before a living legend! The most revered pirate who ever lived, I am the great Captain Usopp!" the long nose teen, now known as Usopp declared loudly as if he was shouting it to the entire planet, then Usopp continued with, "Surely you would know that plotting an attack on this island would mean certain death, my army of eighty-million super mean pirate soldiers would squish you like bugs!"

"Awesome!" Luffy yelled in wonder while Tarble looked at him in disbelief and Zoro and Nami looked like they wanted to smack Luffy in the head.

"You expect us to believe that?" Nami called up to Usopp who lost all of his confidence.

"She knows!" Usopp gasped.

"Yep, well... now I know." Nami said with a wicked smile on her face.

"How could I be so dumb? I practically told her I was lying! I'm such an idiot, so stupid!" Usopp cried out looking like he was freaking out while Nami looked at him like he was some kind of weirdo while Luffy looked horrified that what Usopp said was just a lie.

Usopp tried to regain control as he yelled, "Curse you, you crafty pirate! Eighty-million may have been an exaggeration, but I have a great many men under my control!" he proclaimed while stretching his arms out wide.

Tarble turned his attention back to the flags in the bushes, raised an eyebrow, pressed the button on his Scouter, then he picked up only a few power levels, then he said, "I'm gonna say that three kids are hiding behind the bushes."

Just after Tarble said that, three kids popped out from behind the bushes, looking terrified as they yelled, "He knows too!" then all three of the kids ran away, crying while dropping the flags.

"Wait, come back here!" Usopp yelled to the three kids while Tarble looked at what was in his hand as Nami walked away from her hiding place.

"A pirate using a slingshot, huh?" Nami asked with a smug smile while looking at what was in Tarble's hand.

"And here I thought I've seen it all on this planet, but a piece of lead..." Tarble said while holding the lead in his hand.

"That's pretty cool!" Luffy laughed happily.

"Shut your mouth, or I'll shut it for you!" Usopp yelled while pulling a slingshot out and loaded it up before he aimed it at Luffy as he continued with, "I'm a proud man and I won't stand for it! This is your last warning, or you'll get to see why they call me Proud Usopp and not Pushover Usopp, is that clear!?"

Luffy pulled his hat over his eyes carefully as Usopp continued with, "You've already seen for yourself just how good I am with this thing, so you know I can rival ANYONE carrying a pistol!"

"Now that you've drawn your weapon, are you willing to use it?" Luffy dared in a low voice as Usopp looked distressed by the question as Luffy continued with, "Guns aren't for threats, they're for action. Are you willing to risk you life?"

Zoro looked at Luffy before he grinned, chuckled darkly, walked over to stand next to Luffy, then pulled one his swords out a little as he added, "I can assure you we're real pirates!"

Tarble smirked as he stood next to Luffy while dropping the lead in his hand as he told Usopp, "So you might want to consider your next move very carefully."

That was enough to make Usopp lose his nerve as he dropped the slingshot and let the lead ball hit the ground as he fell to his knees and looked down at the four pirates as he muttered, "Real pirates definitely have a lot more punch behind their words 'cause they can actually back them up. That's so cool."

Luffy lifted his hat up to look at Usopp, then he, Tarble, and Zoro burst out laughing, causing Usopp and Nami to look at the three of them in confusion, then Luffy stopped laughing before he said, "I stole that!"

Usopp blinked at Luffy who just said, "I stole those words from Red-Hair Shanks, a pirate I know!"

Usopp's eyes widened in disbelief as he yelled, "What, you know Red-Hair Shanks!? You really are a real pirate!" then he blinked a couple of times before he asked, "Wait, you've gotta be lying, do you really know him?"

"Yep, I know your Dad too! His name's Yasopp, right?" Luffy asked as Usopp's eyes bulged out as he leaned a bit too far and fell off the branch he was sitting on and crashed on his back.

Usopp got up, looked at Luffy and answered, "You're right, my old man's name is Yasopp." he blinked once more before he asked, "But how in the world do you know him?"

"I met him a long time ago!" Luffy answered happily before he asked, "But first... do you know any good places to have some meat?"

"Yeah, we're kinda hungry." Tarble added sheepishly as his stomach growled.

* * *

Later, Usopp lead Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, and Nami to a small village, and as they went into a small restaurant, the group of five began to eat, mostly Luffy and Tarble.

"So how do you know my old man?" Usopp asked Luffy once again.

"I met him when I was just a little kid." Luffy said with a mouth full of meat.

"Hold on, does my old man really know Shanks?" Usopp asked in excitement.

"Know him? When I met your Dad, he was part of Shanks' crew, so they were probably pretty good friends." Luffy answered cheerfully while Usopp looked happy to hear about his Dad again.

"I can't believe it, my old man, sailing the high seas with famous pirates!" Usopp said in a hushed tone.

"I haven't heard from him in a while, but I bet he's still with him. He was a heck of a sharpshooter, I'd keep him on my crew." Luffy said as he started to eat an apple, then he told Usopp about how often he would watch Yasopp and his shooting skills with a pistol, never missing a single shot as Tarble looked at Usopp who was listening to every word Luffy was saying and Usopp looked like he could explode with happiness.

"He used to go on and on about his son, I think I've heard enough about to make my ears bleed, and let me tell you, he was a great pirate." Luffy said with an amused smile on his face.

"Yeah, really!?" Usopp exclaimed with excitement, then he said, "I sure am proud of my old man, he went to live a pirate's life on the endless sea. He chose a life of real adventure." then Usopp looked at a picture of a pirate ship on rough waves with a grin on his face.

"Sometimes Ryoma dragged me away to show me his techniques as well." Luffy added, confusing the others.

"Who's Ryoma?" Nami asked in confusion.

"He was a member of Shanks' crew along with Yasopp, he was dressed in some strange clothes kinda like Tarble's, he also had a scar in the shape of an 'X' on his cheek, and the one thing I found cool about him is that he had a tail like Tarble's." Luffy answered, that got Tarble's attention right away as he quickly swallowed what food he had in his mouth and turned to Luffy.

"Wait a minute, you mean to tell me that there's another Saiyan here on this planet!?" Tarble asked with his hands on Luffy's shoulders, confusing Usopp about the word 'Saiyans'.

"Yeah, I guess he was, Ryoma never once told me about his past, so I didn't even know that he was from a different planet." Luffy answered as he began to tell Tarble more about Ryoma.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Luffy was watching Ryoma do some push-ups with one hand behind his back and with his legs and tail in the air._

_"Wow, that's so cool!" Luffy said with excitement and happiness._

_"I'm not even breaking a sweat." Ryoma said as he kept going._

_Then Ryoma blasted some empty bottles with some energy blasts from his hands, then he turned to Luffy and said, "See Luffy, the trick is to concentrate on the energy flowing through your body, bring it out, and make it your own weapon. Like so." he shot another bottle with just an energy blast from his finger._

_"That sounds kinda hard." Luffy said but he was still smiling at what Ryoma can do._

_"That might be the case, but for my people it's pretty easy once you get used to it." Ryoma said with his hands behind his head._

_"Your people, you think you can tell me more?" Luffy asked happily as Ryoma's smile went away._

_"I don't think you want to know about my people, they're not exactly friendly to kids like you. In fact, I was against the ways of my people after seeing what they do for a living. So, I left my home and my people and I never went back." Ryoma answered seriously._

_"Oh, so you'd rather live a life of adventure instead of the ways of your people?" Luffy asked._

_"You got it kiddo. And that's pretty much why I became a pirate, so many adventures waiting for anyone out at sea." Ryoma grinned while ruffling Luffy's hair, causing him to giggle._

_Flashback end:_

* * *

After hearing the story, Tarble let go of Luffy's shoulders and said to himself, "I can't believe it, there was another Saiyan on this planet the whole time and I didn't even know. I guess me and Kukin are not the only Saiyans that are against the ways of the rest of the Saiyans."

"Maybe you can help us." Tarble snapped out of his thoughts as he turned to the others as Nami asked Usopp, "Do you know someone who could provide us with a decent ship? Or even someone who knows how to sail for that matter?"

Usopp let out a small sigh before he said, "Well, it's a pretty small village. Sorry, but I just don't think we'll be able to help you."

"But there's a mansion up on that hill, wasn't there? I saw while we were walking up here." Zoro pointed out.

"Yeah, maybe you know them Usopp, with the money they might have, surely they can help us get a ship." Tarble added.

Usopp's face turned deadly serious as he stood up and said loudly, "You stay away from there!" the other four were taken aback by the sudden outburst, then Usopp looked uncomfortable as he picked up his bag and said, "I... just remembered something that I really have to go do." then he walked over to the door as he called out, "Everyone knows me in this place, so... stay and eat as much as you want. Well... gotta go!" and like that, he was out of the restaurant.

"That was... odd." Tarble said while sweat dropping a bit.

"Where do you think he's going?" Nami asked the boys, who shrugged and quickly went back to eating.

Soon they were done with their meals and the doors suddenly banged open.

"The Usopp Pirates have arrived!" Tarble, Zoro, and Nami turned to see that it was the same three kids from before, one of them had dark green hair in the shape of a green pepper, the one in the middle had freckles and short spiky purple hair covering his eyes plus a red hat, and the third kid had straight brown hair with a tuft sticking up at the top along with beady eyes behind a pair of square glasses.

"Captain Usopp's gone." the purple haired kid whispered to the other two.

"Did they...?" the brown haired kid whispered before all three of them gulped, then they rushed over to the table, armed with wooden swords.

"Hi." Tarble greeted the kids with a wave.

"Don't 'hi' us, you filthy pirate you don't speak to Pepper, Carrot, and Onion of the Usopp Pirates that way! Now out with it, what have you done with our beloved captain!? Tell us now!" the green haired kid, Pepper, demanded.

"Yeah, tell us!" Carrot and Onion added.

"Ah, that sure was some good meat." Luffy said while patting his full stomach as Carrot, Pepper, and Onion were as white as ghosts as they huddled together in fear.

"What meat!?" Carrot gasped.

"These pirates are cannibals...?" Onion sounded close to freaking out while Tarble was chuckling at the expression on the kids faces and Nami was having a hard time keeping her giggles in.

"What have you don you savages!?" Pepper demanded, still scared while Carrot and Onion hid behind him as Zoro leaned forward casually with his head on his hand as he gave them a dark and sinister smirk.

"If you're looking for you captain..." Zoro said with a twisted and psychotic smile as he finished with, "We ate him." that was enough to make Tarble smack his forehead.

"AHHHH, CANNIBALS!" Pepper, Carrot, and Onion yelled in fear while looking at Nami.

"WHY ARE YOU PUNKS LOOKING AT ME!?" Nami yelled as the three boys fainted, then Luffy and Zoro started to laugh as Nami scolded at both of them, "You just had to say something stupid, didn't you?" but she was smiling herself as was Tarble who was slowly shaking his head while the boys were twitching on the floor.

Tarble got up, flew out of his seat and in front of the kids as he said to them, "It's okay, Usopp's just fine."

"B-B-B-But he j-j-just s-said..." Pepper tried to get out while pointing at Zoro.

"Can't you take a joke when you hear one?" Nami asked a bit irritably, then she calmed down and said, "Usopp was just here until about ten minutes ago."

"He said he had some place to be and then just left." Tarble added and the Usopp Pirates knew what Usopp was up to right away.

"Looks like it's that time of day again." Carrot said with a smile with Pepper and Onion nodding in agreement while Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, and Nami were confused.

"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked.

* * *

The Usopp Pirates, Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, and Nami were now in front of the mansion.

"Whoa, this place is huge!" Luffy said in awe while Tarble whistled in awe.

"And if our captain ran off at this hour, then this is the place he's gonna be." Onion told them.

"He comes here at this hour? What does he do exactly?" Tarble asked.

"He comes to lie." Carrot answered casually.

"To lie? That's terrible!" Nami said while frowning.

"He's not a bad guy! He's great, isn't he?" Pepper turned to Carrot and Onion who nodded in agreement.

"How is a liar awesome?" Zoro asked in confusion.

"Well, Kaya... the girl who lives here has been in a terrible depression that's kept her weak and in bed after her parents got sick and died a year ago. She's very rich, but all that money couldn't help her recover from her sadness." Pepper explained as they looked at the mansion, but then Nami saw that Luffy covered his eyes with his hat and she also saw a small tear slide down his cheek and she actually felt sad for him.

"So the captain comes to tell his special made-up stories to make her laugh and cheer her up." Onion added happily.

"Captain Usopp is the best at telling lies!" Carrot added as Luffy uncovered his eyes again and began to think something over.

Once he was done, he said, "Wow, that really is pretty nice of him."

"So when he tells her those stories, he makes her feel better?" Nami asked curiously while still keeping a close watch on Luffy.

"Yeah, lots better." Pepper answered, and that was enough for Luffy to hear.

"Okay, then I'll ask her for a ship." Luffy grinned as he stretched his arms out to grab a hold of the bars of the fence while the Usopp Pirates screamed in terror.

"Uh, Luffy, I don't think you should do that." Tarble said as he, Zoro, Nami, and the Usopp Pirates grabbed Luffy, but then...

"**Gum-Gum ROCKET!**" Luffy launched himself and everyone that grabbed him high into the sky with his Gum-Gum Rocket.

* * *

And then all seven on them landed on the lawn of the mansion, six of them painfully while Tarble gently floated to the ground.

"I told you." Tarble sighed a bit as he saw Usopp on the branch of a tree next to the mansion with a fairly tall, pale, and thin girl with blonde hair.

"Well that worked out well." Luffy said happily as he and Zoro left the sidewalk cracked from where they landed.

"Yeah, real well!" Nami yelled sarcastically and furiously at the same time.

"My goodness, are you okay?" the pale girl asked Luffy and the others.

"Don't mind them Kaya, this happens to me all the time! That's just the price of being a famous adventurer! They're just new recruits who've heard about me and came to join the Usopp Pirates!" Usopp told the girl now known as Kaya quickly.

"Nope, I came to see you, I wanted to ask you a favor." Luffy told Kaya taking her by surprise.

But before anyone could say anything else, Tarble noticed that his Scouter was picking up something as he turned his head to see a slim man with glasses and slicked black hair with just a slightly green tinge to it as the man asked in a sort of cold voice, "What are you all doing here?" that got the attention of the others.

"Klahadore." Kaya said silently.

"Get out, I'll have you know that this is criminal trespassing!" Klahadore snapped while pushing his glasses up with the palm of his hand, standing in front of them now.

"Ah, actually Klahadore, these people are..." Kaya called.

"Not now Kaya, you can tell me all about this riffraff after they've left." Klahadore interrupted coldly.

"Riffraff?" Tarble thought while glaring at Klahadore who turned back to the others.

"Now get out, all of you! Leave now unless you all have some business with me!" Klahadore snapped messing with his glasses some more.

"Alright, do you think you could help us get a ship?" Luffy asked with a grin on his face.

"Certainly not!" Klahadore yelled.

"Damn." Luffy whined in disappointment as Zoro placed a hand on his shoulder.

Klahadore then looked up and spotted Usopp and then he yelled, "You again, the son of that pirate, Yasopp! Tell me, what are you here for? Money, all of the precious items in the mansion?" that made Kaya unhappy.

"Stop this at once Klahadore, apologize to him!" Kaya yelled while hanging dangerously out the window.

"Hey, calm down Kaya." Usopp said with a hint of worry in his voice.

"I don't believe there is any reason to apologize to this savage young man, Miss Kaya. My goal isn't to slander, I am merely stating the truth." Klahadore said silkily, then he turned to Usopp and said, "I sympathize with your situation. You must hate your great idiot of a Father for abandoning his family and his village because of his mindless lust for treasure!" Tarble looked and saw that Usopp looked furious.

Usopp glared down at Klahadore and growled, "Don't you dare insult my Father again!" then he jumped down, used a hook from his bag to land on his feet as he glared at Klahadore again with his fists shaking in anger.

Klahadore laughed, "Why have you gotten so worked up Usopp? It's times like this that you should do what you do best and lie. Tell me about how your Father was really a traveling salesman. Or how about that you aren't really related by blood?" that was finally enough as Usopp suddenly snapped and punched Klahadore right in the face, taking Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, Nami, the Usopp Pirates, and Kaya by surprise.

"Usopp?" Tarble asked quietly as Usopp stood above Klahadore while shaking in anger as Klahadore sat up with a sore cheek.

"Just like your Father, you're nothing but a savage boy who resorts to nothing but violence." Klahadore stated.

"Shut up! My Father listened to his heart and chose a life of risk and adventure! I am proud to say that my old man is a brave warrior of the sea! You're right, I have been known to exaggerate from time to time, but I will never lie about who my Father is! I refuse to be ashamed of my heritage! I AM THE SON OF A PIRATE!" Usopp proclaimed as Tarble looked at him with wide eyes after hearing Usopp refusing to be ashamed of his heritage.

"I wonder... if I should refuse to be ashamed of my own heritage?" Tarble thought while looking down again.

Klahadore laughed darkly, "Pirates are brave warriors of the sea are they? That's quite a twisted way of putting things. You don't seem to understand that you are living proof of his savage blood." he got up, dusted himself off and continued with, "You run around, spreading lies and resort to violence when you don't get your way. To top it off, you cozy up to the lady of the house to steal her fortune."

"You're wrong! I only..." Usopp said right away until...

"YOUR FATHER IS A FILTHY, NO GOOD PIRATE! TREACHERY IS IN YOUR BLOOD! OF COURSE YOU HAD SUCH AN EVIL SCHEME!" Klahadore shouted making Usopp angry again.

"You won't let up, will you!?" Usopp yelled grabbing the front of Klahadore's coat and held up a fist, ready to strike again, but then...

"Usopp, don't! I know what Klahadore said was out of line, and he shouldn't say that, but he was just trying to look out for me! You're better than this Usopp, just stop this!" Kaya begged and Usopp listened to her and let Klahadore go.

"Get out, and don't ever come back here again!" Klahadore said while glaring at Usopp.

"That's fine with me." Usopp replied as he walked away with his hands in his pockets.

"You mean old butler!" the Usopp Pirates yelled at Klahadore.

"You jackass!" Luffy yelled before Zoro smacked him slightly with one of his swords.

"Stay out of this, this doesn't concern us." Zoro told Luffy as Klahadore turned to them.

"This is my final warning, leave now!" Klahadore growled.

Tarble had to stop himself from giving Klahadore a good punch to the face as he said, "Fine, you want us to leave so bad, then we'll leave." then he grabbed Luffy by his arm and dragged him away, ignoring his captain's protest as Zoro, Nami, and the Usopp Pirates followed them out of the mansion.

* * *

Later, Tarble found himself walking through the village by himself, still angry about what Klahadore said.

"I can't believe that Klahadore, insulting Usopp like that and in front of his friend Kaya! At least Luffy's trying to find him and cheer him up." Tarble said to himself, then his anger simmered down a bit as he continued with, "I know that he was just looking out for Kaya, but he had no right to say that stuff to Usopp."

"Please, no! I beg of you sir!" someone yelled in fear as Tarble ran on ahead to find out the cause of it.

Once he got to one of the nearby houses, he saw a man and a child on their knees in front of a man with dark hair in a pony-tail in a fighting gi with the words 'KILL YOU' on the back of the shirt with his arms behind his back as the man begged the man, "Please, I'm sorry for what my child has done, spare him, he's just a boy!"

"He should know better than to cross my path. Everyone in the East Blue should know who I am by now." the man said calmly.

"Daddy, I'm scared!" the child cried while holding on to his Dad's leg in fear.

"Scared are we? I'll be glad to rid you of your pain." the man said a little dark as he took just one step forward until.

"Stop it!" the man, the Father, and Child turned to see Tarble glaring at the man and asked hm, "What's your problem? They didn't do anything to you, did they?"

"This really is none of your business, so I'd suggest you run along before I decided to go after you next." the an said calmly.

"I'm not gonna stand by and let you torture that poor man and his child! Tell me, who are you?" Tarble asked taking the kid and his Father by surprise as some of the villagers stopped what they were doing to watch the scene unfold.

"Whoa, look at that guy go." one of the villagers whispered.

"But does he have any idea who he's yelling at?" another villager whispered while shaking in fear.

"It's rare that someone in the East Blue has never heard of me, but if you must know, I am Mercenary Tao... pleased to kill you." the man now known as Tao smirked at Tarble.

"A mercenary?" Tarble asked in confusion.

The Father stood up and yelled to Tarble, "Be careful my boy, you don't know who you're talking to! That's Mercenary Tao, a notorious mercenary known in every island in the East Blue! He's killed anyone who just looks at him funny or even crosses his path! He kills anyone without mercy, men, women, children, pirates, bounty hunters, he even kills marines!"

"Very good, you don't miss a thing about me, you've made your point very clear." Tao said before he vanished from human sight, taking Tarble by surprise.

"He's fast!" Tarble commented in his head just before Tao reappeared in front of the Father and jabbed two fingers in his forehead, killing him right away as the Father fell on his back, now void of life.

"DADDY, NO!" the child cried as he sobbed on his Father's lifeless chest.

"Oh no, Tao's claimed another victim." a villager said sadly.

"Hey, look at the new guy." another villager said as they all turned to see that Tarble was shaking in anger as he growled at Tao.

"You heartless bastard! I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!" Tarble yelled angrily as he charged towards Tao.

"So, it seems you want to die after all." Tao said calmly and with swift movement, he used his leg to trip Tarble before the Saiyan could strike, then he slammed his elbow on Tarble's back, causing him to crash to the ground as Tao said, "That's all? Piece of cake."

"That's what you think!" Tarble yelled as he used his bandaged arm to go for a punch, one that Tao easily caught so Tarble tried again with his free arm, Tao caught that as well.

"I see that you're a bit worked up, shall we just calm down while you wait for your death?" Tao asked calmly as Tarble kept growling at him, then Tao noticed Tarble's tail and asked, "Well, what do we have here?" then, without warning, Tao placed his foot down on Tarble's tail, causing the Saiyan great pain as he grunted and he started to feel weaker.

"Damn it, that sneak, I can't do anything as long as his foot's on my tail!" Tarble thought with his head down so he didn't see Tao draw his head back before he slammed it on Tarble's head, causing a great deal of pain due to the situation Tarble and his tail are in as Tao let go of Tarble's arms, letting the Saiyan fall on his back.

Tao then grabbed Tarble's tail in his hand and looked at it carefully as he said, "You seem to be a bit sensitive with this tail, so you probably won't like it when I do this." then he gave Tarble's tail a squeeze causing Tarble to yell in pain as the villagers watched in fear.

"You... won't... get away... with this." Tarble grunted as Tao kept holding his tail.

Tao looked unamused as he lifted Tarble off the ground by his tail, casually spun the Saiyan around fast and then threw Tarble away without a care as the Saiyan crashed into a house, reducing it to rubble as Tao looked at the damaged house and said, "Well, that got boring real fast, that riffraff isn't even worth killing anymore." then Tao turned to walk away, that is until...

"Hold it right there Tao!" Tao and the villagers turned to see Tarble emerge from the destroyed house and he is glaring at Tao as he yelled, "I've had just about enough of you! I'm gonna make you pay for what you did to that child's Father!" then Tarble put his hands to the left side of his body and concentrated on some sort of move.

"What is he doing now?" Tao asked unamused as purple energy started to form in Tarble's hands as Tarble started to glow purple himself with a purple aura surrounding his body.

"I have a feeling this won't be good." a villager gulped nervously.

"Please work." Tarble thought as the energy in his hands got a little bigger, then he brought his hands forward and shouted, "**GALICK GUUUUUUUN!**" and then he fired a wave of purple energy right at Tao who crossed his arms in front of his face to guard himself as the wave hit while the villagers took cover.

Tarble's attack stopped as he asked himself, "Did that do the trick? Did I pull it off right this time?"

Tarble got his answer when the smoke cleared and the only Tarble did manage to destroy was Tao's clothes leaving bits of them and his underpants as he glared at Tarble and said, "You little Monkey Boy, you've ruined my outfit!"

"Damn it, I've failed again!" Tarble growled to himself.

Tao then pointed his finger at Tarble and shouted, "**DODON RAY!**" and then fired a yellow energy attack at Tarble, hitting the Saiyan right in the chest, through his armor as the villagers were horrified when they saw Tarble land on the ground on his back with a hole in his armor and jumpsuit, not moving a muscle as his Scouter fell off his face.

Sure of himself that he killed another victim, Tao stood up and said, "You should've been wise and not challenge me in the first place, now it's too late for you Monkey Boy. But I must admit, I've never seen an attack like that before, kinda reminds me of another attack quite like that. Oh well, it doesn't matter anyway, he's dead now. But I should probably change out of these, luckily I have an extra outfit just like the one he destroyed." with that Tao walked away casually as the villagers looked at Tarble's body in sadness before they walked away, leaving Tarble's body on the ground.

"I'm really sorry mister." the Child from before said quietly and in sadness while standing next to Tarble before he quietly walked away and over to his dead Father.

* * *

Luffy and his pirate came to this small village to get a new ship, but instead, they got trouble in the form of both Klahadore the butler, and Tao the notorious mercenary of the East Blue. Is Tarble really gone? How will Luffy and the others take it? Who knows when Tao will strike again? Find out next time on The X-Pirates!


	9. Save The Village

Last time on The X-Pirates, Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, and Nami made it to another island and the first thing they've met was Usopp, the captain of the Usopp Pirates, who turn out to be three kids. Usopp is really a liar who means well, telling made up stories to a sick girl by the name of Kaya, that was something a butler by the name of Klahadore wouldn't allow. After getting the boot out of Kaya's property, Tarble was walking alone when he saw a man getting killed by a man who calls himself Mercenary Tao. Blinded by anger, Tarble fought against Tao, but the mercenary was one step ahead of the Saiyan and brought Tarble down simply by using his signature move, the Dodon Ray. Is it really the end for Tarble? Find out today!

Save The Village

It had been a few hours after Tarble's fight against Tao, the sun was now setting and Tarble was still unconscious and is on the back of a teenage boy with smooth black hair that stopped above the ears, wearing a white t-shirt, dark green pants, and had a red headband on his forehead.

"This guy's pretty brave to stand up to someone like Mercenary Tao, and I still find it hard to believe that he survived Tao's Dodon Ray." the boy thought as he kept walking while thinking back to the battle.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_The boy was watching Tarble and Tao battle from behind a nearby tree, and he gritted his teeth when he saw Tao hitting Tarble with the Dodon Ray as Tarble landed on his back._

_Just after the little boy apologized to Tarble and sadly walked away the teenage boy decided to walk over to Tarble until he was standing next to the Saiyan as he said, "Looks like Tao's Dodon Ray claimed another victim. Sorry about what happened, I'll make sure you get a hero's burial."_

_But just before the teen could bury Tarble, he saw Tarble's hand twitching a little, taking the teen by surprise as he said, "Huh, he's alive!? But no one could survive from an attack like that!"_

_The teen quickly shook it off, carefully placed Tarble on his back and told him, "Hang on, I'll take you back to my boat to treat your injuries." then the teen walked away with Tarble on his back._

_Flashback end:_

* * *

The teen was pulled out of his thoughts when he saw Pepper, Carrot, and Onion walking his way, not really paying attention to anything around them as they walked passed the teen and Tarble while grumbling about how disappointed they were at Usopp for some reason.

"What's up with those boys?" the teen asked in confusion.

"TARBLE!" the teen quickly turned his head to see Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp running over to them as Luffy got a good look at Tarble and yelled in concern, "Tarble, are you okay!? Who did this to you!?"

Tarble then groaned as he opened his eyes slowly as he looked around and asked, "What happened? Where am I?"

"Looks like he's okay." Zoro said calmly while the others sighed in relief.

"Hey, can you stand?" the teen asked as Tarble easily got off the teen's back.

"Of course I can." Tarble answered happily, then he got confused as he asked, "Who are you anyway?"

"Sorry about that, where are my manners? My name's Pigero, a traveler." the teen now known as Pigero introduced.

"I'm Tarble, that's Luffy, the guy with the swords is Zoro, the orange haired girl is Nami, and the guy with the long nose is Usopp." Tarble said as he and Pigero shook hands.

Luffy noticed something about Usopp as he gasped, "Usopp? Your arm!" that's when everyone saw that Usopp's blue and white sleeve on his arm was now stained in blood.

Nami examined the wound and then told Usopp, "Come with me so I can get this treated." and that's just what Usopp and the rest decided to do.

* * *

Later that night, Luffy's pirate crew and Pigero were at a different shore on the opposite side of where the pirate crew's boats are located as Nami got to work nursing Usopp's wound while Pigero was using some cream on the small burn on Tarble's chest where Tao's Dodon Ray got him as Tarble was listening to what his crew found out about Klahadore.

"So, let me see if I've got this right, Klahadore is really a pirate captain named Kuro, and this gang of pirates called the Black Cat Pirates will be coming here tomorrow to attack the village, then this hypnotist named Jango's gonna hypnotize Kaya into writing out a will, leaving her heritage to Klahadore, then they're gonna kill her and make it look like an accident. Is that correct?" Tarble asked Luffy and Zoro.

"Yep, that's what me and Usopp heard from them." Luffy answered with a nod while Pigero began to wrap some bandages around Tarble's wound, but he didn't see any on the Saiyan's body which took him by surprise.

"Well, I'd like to know what happened to you." Zoro said while eying the burn mark on Tarble's chest.

"He got that while fighting a mercenary in the village for a little boy." Pigero answered as the others looked at him as he looked at Tarble and continued with, "I was watching you battle the whole time."

"Come on, a mercenary did that to Tarble?" Nami asked in disbelief as she kept dabbing Usopp's wound gently.

"He's right Nami, I was battling a mercenary in the village, that man killed a little boy's Father, I was so mad I wasn't even thinking straight, so I was defeated when Tao got me with his move, the Dodon Ray." Tarble said as Luffy's eyes went wide for some reason.

"What!?" Luffy asked as he placed his hands on Tarble's shoulders, catching the others off guard as he yelled, "You mean the man you were fighting was Mercenary Tao!?"

"Uh, yes?" Tarble said a little uneasily.

"But I've heard that he's the notorious mercenary known throughout the entire East Blue." Nami pointed out, still a little surprised by Luffy's sudden outburst.

"I've seen Tao at work a couple of times when I was still hunting pirates, he kills anyone who would even look at him funny without a second thought." Zoro mentioned, then he grinned as he joked, "Might make a good crew member with the way he fights."

"No!" Luffy said firmly and a little dark as the others turned to him again as he continued with, "There's no way I'd EVER let that killer join my crew!"

"Relax Luffy, it was just a joke." Zoro said calmly.

"Is everything okay?" Pigero asked.

Luffy finally let go of Tarble's shoulders as he clenched his fist so much that they began to shake as he growled, "There's nothing I hate more than ANYONE who calls himself a mercenary!"

"Luffy, what's with you? Did you have a bad experience with a killer in the past or something?" Tarble asked sounding a bit worried.

"It was that cold-blooded murderer, Tao, he came to my village when I was young and he took the life of someone very important to me! That's why I hate anyone who calls himself a killer!" Luffy growled as Nami gasped to herself while looking at Luffy, then she decided to change the subject as she finished wrapping up Usopp's wound.

"Okay Usopp, you're good to go!" Nami declared as the others turned to Nami and Usopp.

"So, how come you lied to them?" Luffy asked seriously, talking about the Usopp Pirates.

"Because all I ever do is lie." Usopp said after a couple of seconds of silence as he tearfully continued with, "No one in this village would believe me since I'm known as the village liar who couldn't destroy Klahadore's reputation in any way. I tried to tell Kaya, but she didn't believe me either, then another one of her butlers shot me in the arm. There's no way that anybody was gonna believe what I had to say. Why should they?"

Zoro stepped up and said, "Because what you were telling them was the honest truth!"

"But that's the big problem with telling too much lies, sooner or later they'll come back to haunt you." Pigero pointed out.

"They are coming, and they're gonna level this whole town." Nami said softly.

"Yeah, but what am I supposed to do? They'll think I'm lying if I try to warn them!" Usopp said.

"Everyone thinks that tomorrow's gonna be another normal day, besides the fact that Mercenary Tao's still in the village." Tarble mentioned.

Usopp gritted his teeth as he stood up and said, "They think I'm lying and that's all they need to think! I'm gonna stop those pirates at the beech tomorrow myself! This is all my fault for being such a liar!" then he gripped his arm and continued with a chocked voice, "I don't care anymore if they drive me away with brooms or shoot me in the arm! This is my village, it's my home and I love everyone in it! I have to protect them!"

Luffy, his crew, and Pigero saw that Usopp was trying to hold in the tears in his eyes as the five of them smiled and each of them looked ready to kick some pirate ass as Zoro gripped his swords tightly with an evil grin as he said, "You're one hell of a guy, sending your cronies away and going into battle alone."

"Just so you know, I have dibs on all the pirate treasure you got it?" Nami claimed.

"So you want a little help or what?" Luffy asked while holding up a fist.

"We're with you Usopp." Tarble said while standing while putting his armor back on while Usopp was crying as he looked at the three pirates, treasure hunter, and Pigero like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You guys...? You're gonna help me fight all of these pirates? I don't get it." Usopp said while trying to dry his tears.

"Well, you said that there's a whole bunch of bad guys, right?" Luffy asked while flexing his fingers.

"And you look scared out of your mind." Zoro added.

Usopp stood up and he pointed his thumb at himself and proclaimed, "For your information, I have nerves of steel! I'm perfectly okay with tons of bad guys! After all, all five of you are looking at the legendary Captain Usopp, brave warrior of the sea!"

"If that's true, then why are your legs shaking?" Pigero asked while pointing at Usopp's legs which were indeed shaking like crazy.

"Alright, fine, I'm scared! Why shouldn't I be!? They're Captain Kuro's men, these guys mean business! I don't need pity! If you guys are sticking around 'cause you pity me, then just leave! I don't need you laughing at me!" Usopp snarled.

"We're not laughing at you." Zoro said firmly.

"We're helping because you're honorable." Pigero added seriously.

"You really think we'd risk our lives out of pity?" Luffy asked as his face darkened a little.

"Wait, you're gonna help us?" Nami asked Pigero who just nodded as Nami said, "I don't get it, why do you want to help?"

"Well, you guys seem nice enough, and I took a good look at the village when I got to this island, I'd have to have a cold heart to ignore anyone who needs help." Pigero explained.

"You're a good guy Pigero, thanks." Usopp said as tears returned to his eyes, he rubbed them away as he continued with, "I don't know how to thank you guys... but we have to hurry! We still have time before the sun rises, and we've got to set up some traps! They'll be here at daybreak!"

"Just tell us what you need Usopp, and we'll be there to help!" Tarble said while holding up a fist, then suddenly a hand grabbed his wrist as everyone turned to Luffy who had his eyes covered by the rim of his hat as Luffy turned to Tarble.

"Tarble, this is Captain's Orders, I don't want you to fight against the pirates coming tomorrow. Instead, I want you to focus on getting payback for what Mercenary Tao did to you and the little boy's Father tomorrow. Leave those pirates to the rest of us, is that clear?" Luffy said sounding a bit dark and swimming in seriousness, taking the others by surprise.

"Right, I'll leave the pirates to you and the others." Tarble answered with a nod, then he stood up, placed his free hand on Luffy's shoulder, then he smirked as he said, "Don't worry Captain, just leave Mercenary Tao to me."

* * *

Later, the sky was starting to get lighter, which means Dawn was approaching as the six fighters were watching the sea.

"Okay, at daybreak, the pirates will be landing at this shore to begin their attack. But the only way they'll be able to get to the village will be up this slope. The rest of the shoreline is sheer cliff so they have to come through here. If we can funnel them in that narrow path, their numbers won't mean anything and the village will be protected." Usopp explained while marching forward a bit with the others following him.

"Alright, sounds pretty easy." Luffy said.

"Talking about it is, but victory depends on our strength. What is it you guys can do?" Usopp asked the other five.

"I slice." Zoro said darkly with a hand on one of his swords.

"I steal." Nami said while crossing her arms.

"I stretch." Luffy said with a fist in the air.

"I fight." Tarble and Pigero said at the same time, even though Tarble plans to go after Tao on Luffy's orders.

"I hide." Usopp said softly before the other five grabbed him.

"NO YOU'RE NOT, YOU'RE FIGHTING TOO!" the other five yelled at him.

"Let me go, it was just a joke!" Usopp tried as he tried to struggle out of their grip.

"This isn't the time for joking Usopp." Tarble sighed, then he turned around and said, "Looks like I'd better get ready for my rematch with Tao."

"Do you even know where he's gonna be?" Zoro asked.

"Don't worry about that Zoro, with my Scouter, I can't lose track of him." Tarble said while lightly tapping the Scouter he was wearing.

"Get him good for me." Luffy said seriously as Tarble smirked and gave Luffy a nod and a thumbs-up before he walked away towards the village.

* * *

Later, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero rolled out several large barrels filled with oil and poured it down the slope.

"Usopp, where did you get so man barrels of oil?" Pigero asked in confusion.

"I know a guy." Usopp answered as Pigero shrugged his shoulders and went along with it.

"Let's just hope none of us slip on that oil and slide down there with them, because that would be like sliding into a meat grinder!" Nami said as Luffy touched the oil with his foot with caution.

"Usopp, I gotta hand it to ya, you're pretty good at fighting dirty!" Luffy said.

"Of course I am, there isn't anyone alive who can best me with a slingshot or beat me at the art of playing dirty!" Usopp yelled.

"You say that like you're proud of it." Zoro told Usopp.

"Hey, I'm a sniper and a trickster! I'm not some monster like you three and Tarble, this is how I fight!" Usopp snapped as the other four smiled at him as Pigero looked out at sea again.

"It's almost daybreak." Pigero whispered softly.

"They're coming." Zoro whispered softly as the sun was rising up and the five of them got ready for battle... but strange enough, no one came.

* * *

Tarble was walking through the woods to get to the village... and Tao.

"Just you wait Tao, I'll get you for what you did yesterday!" Tarble thought while thinking back to what Tao did yesterday, that was enough to fuel Tarble's anger a little.

"While Luffy and the others take care of Kuro and those pirates, you're answering to me for what you did to that little boy yesterday... as well as what you did to Luffy a long time ago." Tarble whispered to himself as his Scouter went off as he pushed the button on it and looked around, then he looked ahead and said with determination, "Found him!" then he ran so fast, he became invisible to the human eye.

* * *

Back at the shoreline, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero were still waiting for the pirates, but there was no sign of the pirates or their ship anywhere.

"Where are they? I thought we were gonna fight! The sun's up, what's the deal?" Luffy whined sounding bored.

"Maybe they overslept?" Zoro guessed while shrugging his shoulders.

"No, they're gonna show up alright... and lots of them." Usopp said with determination.

"I don't know, something doesn't feel right." Pigero said a little unsure, then suddenly Nami looked like she heard something as she placed her hands behind her ears as Pigero turned to her and asked, "What is it?"

"I hear something. It sounds like... battle cries to the north." Nami said as Usopp looked like he remembered something.

"Oh man, I forgot, there's a shore identical to this one to the north!" Usopp yelled as they began to panic.

"We're at the wrong shore? That's not good!" Luffy cried out.

"What made you think that they would come to this shore instead!?" Pigero yelled at Usopp.

"Well, this is where Kuro and that hypnotist had their secret meeting so I just assumed okay!?" Usopp yelled back.

"That's just great!" Zoro groaned while slapping his forehead.

"My perfectly planned oil trap failed!" Usopp cried out dramatically.

Pigero grabbed Usopp by the front of his shirt, slapped him across the face and yelled, "Snap out of it Usopp! We need to hurry before they make it to the village!"

"Right, where is it?" Luffy asked Usopp.

"You have to head directly north from here! If you run you can make it in three minutes! The terrain there is almost exactly the same, so all we have to do is stop them at the slope!" Usopp quickly yelled.

"Don't worry, we're gonna stop them!" Luffy said with determination.

"OH NO!" Nami suddenly scream out.

"What's the matter?" Pigero asked as they saw Nami panicking with her hands on her head.

"IF THOSE FILTHY PIRATES ARE AT THE NORTH SHORE, THEN THEY'VE ALREADY SEEN OUR BOATS! THEY'LL TAKE OUR TREASURE!" Nami screamed as Pigero sighed, but then he remembered something.

"Wait a minute..." Pigero trailed off, then he began to panic as he yelled, "I left MY boat on the north shore, and I left something very important to me on it! I can't let those pirates take it!"

"I'll be there in twenty seconds!" Luffy yelled before he took off running to the north shore.

"Wait, do you even know where you're going!?" Usopp yelled before he ran to the north shore as well, leaving Zoro, Nami, and Pigero behind.

"Come on, let's get going!" Zoro told Pigero and Nami.

"Right." Pigero nodded as the two of them began to run after Luffy and Usopp.

"Hey, wait up!" Nami yelled, but then she suddenly tripped on the oil slick as she grabbed one of Zoro's swords and the back of Pigero's shirt, causing them to stop.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" Pigero yelled as they slipped a little further into the oil trap.

"Let go you idiot!" Zoro yelled at Nami who saw her way out as she gave off a wicked smile.

"Hello." Nami said as she stepped on Zoro and Pigero, causing the two of them to slide down the oil and down to the bottom of the slope, she looked back at Zoro and Pigero and said, "Sorry boys, but it's for the treasure, you understand! Try to catch up if you can!" then she ran to the north shore as well, leaving Pigero and Zoro stuck in the oil trap.

"That's just it, I DON'T understand!" Pigero yelled angrily.

"I'll get you for this Nami!" Zoro growled as he and Pigero tried to climb out of the trap, but they just slipped back to the bottom.

"Usopp, why did you have to use so many barrels of oil?" Pigero groaned.

* * *

In the village, the little boy from yesterday just finished his chores for the day as he walked over to his Father's grave that he made himself.

"I'm sorry that mean man did this to you Daddy, you didn't deserve this." the child said sadly, then he thought back to Tarble and Tao's battle yesterday, which made him cry a little as he continued with, "I wish I could've done something to help that kind man, then he wouldn't be in the same place you are right now Daddy."

The child noticed something, or someone, walking down the dirt road, he gasped when he saw that it Mercenary Tao now in a new version of his fighting gi, that made the child angry as he ran over and yelled, "Hey, you killed my Daddy, you big meany!"

Tao stopped to look at the boy as he calmly said, "That's right, I've killed many things, and if you don't get out of my way little boy, you're next."

"How could you do that!? He never did anything to you!" the child yelled angrily, then suddenly Tao was right in front of the little boy as he grabbed him by the neck, nearly choking the poor boy.

"Well, if you miss your Father that badly, then I'll just kill you right now. That way the two of you can be reunited... in the afterlife." Tao said darkly before he threw the child fast over to a nearby tree, but just before the child could hit the tree, a blue blur suddenly came out of nowhere and grabbed the child away from the tree over to the little boy's house.

"What!?" Tao asked in shocked as turned to see that it was Tarble holding the child in his arms as he turned to the woman standing in front of the door as Tarble handed the child to her.

"Oh, thank you so much." the woman said gratefully.

"Stay inside where it's safe, I'll deal with this." Tarble said gently as the child and his Mother did just that as Tarble turned to look at Tao who was still in shock at what he saw.

"You're still alive!? Impossible, I hit you dead on with my Dodon Ray yesterday, I'm sure of it!" Tao yelled in shock as Tarble slowly walked away from the house.

"It'll take a lot more than that to get rid of me Tao, I'm here to finish what we've started yesterday." Tarble said seriously.

"Oh really? Do I need to remind you of what happened the last time you were foolish enough to face me?" Tao asked calming down a little.

"Last time I was blinded by my own anger, but now I'm seeing clearly Tao, this won't be like the last time." Tarble said as some of the villagers gathered around to see what was going on, even Onion came to see what was going on.

"Whoa, it's that guy from before again!" one villager commented while looking at Tarble.

"The guy must have a death wish if he's crazy enough to fight Mercenary Tao again." another villager said while sweat dropping.

"The guy with the tail, what's he doing here?" Onion asked himself.

"I'll have you know, I've never faced someone twice before in my life, consider yourself the first." Tao said as he and Tarble got into fighting position.

"Let's get started." Tarble said calmly.

"Strange, he's more calm than he was yesterday, but that won't change a thing." Tao thought, then he held up a hand and told Tarble, "Five seconds, that's how long you have to live before I kill you where you stand."

Then Tao charged towards Tarble who stayed where he was as Tao got a punch ready, but as he was about to punch Tarble, he disappeared before his eyes, surprising Tao, Onion, and the villagers watching.

"Hey, where did he go?" Onion asked but then he got his answer when Tarble suddenly appeared next to Tao and punched him in the face hard, sending Tao flying until he hit a tree, the impact was enough to bring the tree down from it's root.

Tao got up and growled, "Lucky break, but it won't happen again!" then he charged towards Tarble again with another punch ready, but Tarble blocked it using only his tail, surprising everyone watching again as Tao backed away in both awe and shock as he said, "You block my death punch... with your tail."

"Now it's my turn." Tarble said as he vanished again, then reappeared in front of Tao, just before he gave him an uppercut to the chin, sending Tao flying high as Tarble flew after him, grabbed his leg, stayed in the air, then he began to spin around in the air with Tao, then he threw Tao down to the ground fast as the mercenary crashed down into the ground, making a hole in the shape of his body in it as Tarble slowly floated down to the ground with his arms crossed as he said, "Your five seconds are up, and I'm still here."

Tao got out of the hole as he glared at Tarble and growled, "You won't be around much longer than that! Prepare to be eradicated!" then he and Tarble charged towards each other at great speed, trying to hit each other, but they kept blocking each others punches and kicks.

"Amazing, this is completely opposite of the battle they had yesterday." a villager commented as Tao and Tarble kept clashing.

"I know, this is crazy." another villager said as Tarble got Tao with a kick to the gut, then he followed it up with a barrage of punches to the face and chest, then he kicked Tao back into the air and flew after him, actually he flew even higher than Tao was for the moment as he got a kick ready with his leg glowing with purple aura.

"This is for killing that child's Father yesterday!" Tarble yelled before he kicked Tao with his aura fueled leg as Tarble flew after him again, this time head first and then he gave Tao a headbutt to the gut as they both crashed into the ground.

* * *

Back at the south shore, Zoro and Pigero were still stuck in the oil trap as they tried everything they could think of to get out, but they didn't work out so well, now the two of them were panting like crazy and they were covered in oil.

"Maybe we should've oiled up both shores on the island instead." Pigero panted.

"Nami... if you're still alive when we get out of here, I'm gonna kill you!" Zoro panted, then he growled as he pulled out one of his swords and handed it to Pigero before he told him, "Follow my lead!"

Then Zoro brought out his two remaining swords while Pigero did the same for the one he was holding as they used the swords, and sword holder in Pigero's case, to climb out of the oil trap once and for all as both Zoro and Pigero laughed in triumph as they both shouted, "TAKE THAT OIL!"

Then the swords were in their holders again and back with Zoro as he and Pigero were panting again as Zoro asked, "Now, where's that shore?"

"Let's get those pirates!" Pigero yelled as he began running as did Zoro.

* * *

While trying to find the others, Pigero and Zoro ran into Luffy after hearing battle cries and screams as the three of them found some of the invading pirates coming their way, Luffy and Zoro easily sent the pirates flying everywhere, causing the other pirates, a person with heart-shaped glasses, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero to watch in awe and in shock.

"Wow." Pigero whispered then he saw Nami and Usopp on the ground with Usopp looking pretty beaten up.

"What is this Captain Jango!?" one pirate yelled to the heart-shaped glasses guy.

"Nobody told us that killers like those were gonna be here!" another pirate screamed.

Pigero got a good look at the pirate ship and saw that the bow of the ship looked like the head of a black cat as he whispered to himself, "Of course, the Black Cat Pirates."

"It's about time!" Nami yelled as Pigero stood next to Luffy and Zoro.

"Is that the best those pirates can dish out?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah, I was hoping for a challenge." Luffy gasped for breath.

Zoro turned to Nami and angrily yelled, "And you, after leaving me and the new guy down there, you're lucky I'm not kicking your ass too!"

"Usopp you big bonehead, you never told me which way was north!" Luffy suddenly yelled at Usopp who was wondering as he looked at the beaten pirates and back at Luffy and Zoro, looking surprised.

"Could you have been slower? What took you so long!?" Nami demanded while glaring at Luffy, Zoro, and Pigero.

"Hey, you were the one who pushed me and Pigero down that oil slick so YOU could get out, so don't blame us!" Zoro yelled furiously as he glared at Nami.

"It was an accident, I slipped, you two fell! At least one of us made it out of there, that's better than the three of us being stuck at the bottom!" Nami yelled back.

"IT SHOULD'VE JUST BEEN YOU!" Zoro shouted angrily.

"Run straight north he says! That's just great! I mean, how am I supposed to know which way north even is out here, huh?" Luffy complained to Usopp.

"Shut up! You're the one who ran away feeling so sure of yourself, ready to take on anyone!" Usopp yelled back.

"Well, I just got so excited I just started running you know?" Luffy said lightly as Pigero looked between the arguing quartet, but then he saw that the Black Cat Pirates were circling around Jango who had a metal ring out on a string as he began to swing it back and forth.

"Uh, can we put the arguments on hold for a minute? The Black Cat Pirates are up to something." Pigero said as Luffy, Usopp, Zoro, and Nami stopped arguing to pay attention to what was going on.

"Here, stare deeply into this ring... now, I'll count one, two, Jango and you will all begin to grow stronger. The wounds will heal and you will grow stronger still!" Jango said in a slow and deep voice.

"So, what's he doing? Looks weird." Luffy commented.

"It looks like hypnosis, he's trying to convince them that they're stronger than they are. Like that'll work." Nami said skeptically while Pigero covered his eyes with his headband just to be safe while Luffy kept looking at the swinging ring.

"Stronger... stronger... STRONGER! One... Two... JANGO!" Jango cried out with his hat covering his eyes while the pirates roared with their eyes milky white as Pigero uncovered his eyes to see what was happening as one of the pirates punched the side of the cliff, causing it to crack and collapse.

"Wow, that's pretty strong!" Pigero commented.

"And here I thought hypnotizing people was just a bunch of crap!" Nami said in shock while helping Usopp up with his arm around her shoulders.

"Go! Destroy everything in your path!" Jango commanded as the hypnotized pirates charged up the slope.

"Nami, Usopp stay back! Pigero, keep them safe, Luffy and I will take it from here!" Zoro yelled as Pigero ran over to help Nami support Usopp as the Black Cat Pirates kept charging while Zoro asked, "Okay Luffy, what should we do?" but he didn't get an answer, so he looked at Luffy to see that he was growling with his hat covering his eyes as he asked, "Uh, Luffy?"

Zoro got his answer when Luffy suddenly roared with his eyes as white as the Black Cat Pirates, showing that Luffy has been hypnotized as well as Pigero smacked his forehead and whispered, "Oh great."

"Don't tell me you let that freak hypnotize you too!?" Zoro yelled in annoyance, but all Luffy did was charge towards the Black Cat Pirates.

"Hey, wait, come back!" Pigero yelled to Luffy.

"He really is a simple-minded idiot!" Nami cried out while Luffy kept charging towards the enemy pirates while roaring like a wild animal.

"**GUM... GUM... GATLING!**" then Luffy suddenly stretched his arms out to give out a barrage of fast and powerful punches to the Black Cat Pirates, shocking not only them, but Pigero as well.

"Did his arms just stretch just now?" Pigero asked in shock as the hypnotized pirates were now running away from Luffy who kept charging after them, but then Luffy outran them and went after Jango, who thought he was gonna attack him as he cowered in fear, but Luffy just ran straight to the ship.

"Where's he going now?" Zoro asked while sweat dropping right before Luffy grabbed the bow to the ship, trying to pull it out with all of his hypnotized might as it started to creak and crack while some of his muscles were forced to pump out.

"That's right, tear it down!" Nami cheered while Luffy finally managed to tear the bow off the pirate ship as Luffy looked back at the Black Cat Pirates who were terrified when they saw the evil look in his blank eyes.

"He's gonna crush us with it! Everybody run!" one Black Cat Pirate screamed before they all ran away as Luffy walked over slowly with the torn off bow in his hands.

"Looks like standing here won't help me!" Jango cried, then he remembered his ring as he quickly pulled it out, started to swing it as he quickly yelled, "One, two, Jango, fall asleep!" then Luffy came closer, "One..." and closer, "Two..." and closer, "JANGO!" until Jango yelled the last part, that's when Luffy fell asleep as he dropped to the ground, now crushed under the bow while it knocked out the Black Cat Pirates.

"I hope Tarble's having better luck than us right now." Zoro sighed while slapping his forehead.

* * *

Back in the village, Tao and Tarble were in the air, thanks to Tarble tossing Tao up again as Tarble punched, kicked, and even tail-slapped Tao around in the air before he slammed his elbow on Tao's back, sending him crashing into the ground once again while the villagers were actually cheering Tarble on.

Tarble landed on the ground with his arms crossed as he said, "That's for the elbow to the back you gave me yesterday."

Tao got up out of the ground, now wearing nothing but his pants and his shoes as he glared at Tarble and growled, "That's the second outfit of mine you've ruined! Do you know how long it took me to get it just right Monkey Boy!?"

"Instead of worrying about your clothes, pay more attention to the fight at hand." Tarble said as some of the villagers went 'ooooooooohhhhh' at Tao... which made him very angry.

"You dare talk to me like that!? Then taste my Dodon Ray!" Tao yelled while holding his index finger out.

"Go ahead, I'm ready for it this time!" Tarble yelled while holding up his left hand.

"This time you're dead! **DODON RAY!**" Tao fired his Dodon Ray at Tarble right at his held out hand as Tarble skidded back a couple of inches until the attack stopped, and everyone, including Tao, stood in shock to see that the Dodon Ray only burned a big hand-shaped hole in Tarble's glove and left a burn mark on Tarble's hand.

"The only thing you've destroyed was my glove, but I'm not complaining about it, am I?" Tarble asked while pulling off the burnt glove, tossed it into the air, and reduced it to nothing with a single energy attack.

"Th-Th-That's impossible, no one could survive my Dodon Ray! Pirates and marines all over the East Blue have fallen victim to it's power! You're not a normal fighter!" Tao said in shock.

"Nothing about that guy is normal." Onion thought while shaking a bit.

"No one in the East Blue could take my Dodon Ray like that without dying! Tell me, who the hell are you!?" Tao demanded as Tarble began to think it over.

"I refuse to be ashamed of my heritage!" Tarble remember Usopp yelled to Kuro yesterday as he thought, "If Usopp's proud of who he is... then perhaps I should be proud of who I am!" then he looked at Tao and proclaimed, "My name is Tarble, a Saiyan warrior! More than that actually, I'm the Prince of all Saiyans and next in line for the throne!"

"Huh, a Saiyan... Prince?" Onion asked quietly.

"Not only that, but I'm gonna become the strongest Saiyan ever! And even though I'm doing it here on this planet as a pirate, I will redeem the Saiyan name for the better!" Tarble declared loudly while some of the villagers were talking amongst themselves.

"A Saiyan, what's he talking about?" a villager asked quietly.

"I don't know, but he said that he was a pirate." another villager whispered back.

"But he just saved that child from dying, there's no way he could be a pirate." a third villager whispered.

"So, all this time I've been fighting a prince!? Unbelievable!" Tao thought in shock, but then he thought of something else as he smirked and thought, "Hold on, if he's a prince, then he must be loaded with riches! I'll be set for life! So, I'll defeat him, and then his family would pay ANYTHING to get him back! That's perfect!"

"Is that enough for you!? Now let's continue the fight!" Tarble yelled while getting ready to fight some more.

"Indeed, this time I will defeat you no matter what!" Tao smirked while getting into his own fighting position.

* * *

The battles to save the village have intensified, but with Tarble being kept busy with Tao and Luffy fast asleep thanks to Jango's hypnotism, can they keep the Black Cat Pirates from attacking the village and killing Kaya? When will Kruo make his move? The battles continue next time on The X-Pirates!


	10. Pigero's Power and the Last of Tao

Previously on The X-Pirates, Tarble met back up with Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp thanks to a traveling teen named Pigero as they explained the situation with Klahadore who was really Captain Kuro of the Black Cat Pirates who plan to attack the village and kill Kaya for her wealth while Tarble explained his fight with Mercenary Tao which made Luffy really angry for some reason. The next day, Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero decided to face ff against the Black Cat Pirates before they could reach the village and Kaya while Tarble, under Luffy's Captain's Order, went after Mercenary Tao to get back at him for what he did to him and apparently what he did to Luffy many years ago. The clash with the pirates got off with a bad start, but Luffy and Zoro were able to stand out on top, until a hypnotist named Jango hypnotized the Black Cat Pirates and made them stronger, but he unknowingly hypnotized Luffy as well. Things were going well, until Luffy was hypnotized again into a deep sleep. While at the same time, Tarble was fighting Mercenary Tao in the village again, this time he was prepared. Now, both the clash and the battle continue with a few surprises in the mix!

Pigero's Power and the Last of Tao

Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero were looking down at the down Black Cat Pirates, Jango, and Luffy who was sleeping under the bow he ripped off from their ship.

"I-Is Luffy gonna be okay?" Usopp asked with a shaky voice.

"I wouldn't worry about him, he'll be fine. After all, he's a rubber person." Zoro said calmly making it clear for Pigero.

"I see, he must have gotten his rubber powers by eating one of the Devil Fruits." Pigero thought while looking back at Luffy.

"This is not good, Captain Kuro's gonna kill me, it's been hours since the sun rose now. There must be something else." Jango said while panicking at what just happened.

"Is something going on down there Captain Jango?" someone asked from the Black Cat Pirates' ship.

"Can we come play now?" a second voice from the ship asked as Jango turned to the ship with a devious smile as he saw two people on the ship who were resembling cats, one was skinny with a little bit of a hunched back, and the other person was big with a bell around his neck.

"Of course, I've still got the trump card! Sham, Buchi, come out!" Jango called as the two cat people jumped off the ship and landed in front of Jango.

"At your service Captain! Sham!" the skinny guy said.

"Buchi!" the big guy said his name.

"We are the Meowban Brothers!" the Meowban Brothers said at the same time while Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero sweat dropped at the cat duo.

"See those four at the top?" Jango asked while pointing at Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero as the Meowban Brothers nodded before Jango continued with, "Kill them at once!"

Sham looked horrified as he yelled, "What!? But we can't fight!"

"We just guard the ship!" Buchi agreed in fear as well.

"Never mind that, we're already late for Captain Kuro's deadline! You want to be on the other end of his wrath if he catches up to us!? You're our only hope now!" Jango yelled, sounding like he was scared as well.

"Oh fine!" Sham said weakly before he started to run towards Zoro.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Zoro asked while sweat dropping.

"They don't look like the kind of guys who can put up a fight." Usopp snickered a little.

"I hope you're right Usopp." Pigero said while watching as Sham was getting closer to Zoro who has a sword ready for slicing.

"Easy there, get any closer and I'll slice you up good!" Zoro tried to warn Sham, but he just kept getting closer as Zoro, "I'm not kidding, I'll really do it!"

Sham suddenly smirked and said, "Gotcha." then he lunged at Zoro who blocked his attack with his sword until Sham back flipped away from Zoro before he said, "You were so easily distracted by my cowardly performance that you let your guard down, and you'll see that you're missing a little something."

"What!?" Zoro asked before he felt that his other two swords were gone as he looked to see that Sham has them behind his back as Zoro yelled, "You tricked me!"

"Indeed I did, and now for your demise. Now Buchi!" Sham yelled before he and Buchi dashed at Zoro.

"Well, One-Sword Style isn't really my thing, but I guess I don't have much of a choice for the moment." Zoro said before the Meowban Brothers came and tried to attack with their clawed gloves while Zoro tried his best to block the attacks with the one sword he had with him for the moment as he thought, "Damn, if I only had one more sword, these guys would be nothing right now!"

"They're gaining up on him!" Nami yelled as she, Usopp, and Pigero watched Zoro having trouble with the Meowban Brothers.

"He needs help!" Usopp said as he got his slingshot ready and aimed it at Buchi, then he yelled, "Take this! **Lead Star!**" then he fired at Buchi, but then Zoro moved to take the hit for him, surprising Nami, Usopp, and Pigero.

"Why did he do that!?" Nami yelled angrily as the Meowban Brothers slashed Zoro leaving a big gash on his chest.

Zoro then turned to Usopp and yelled, "You dumb-ass, you want to get yourself killed!? Don't try to help me!" Zoro yelled before he went back to blocking the Meowban Brothers' attacks.

Realization hit Pigero as he said, "I think I get why Zoro took the hit, he was trying to protect us."

"What do you mean?" Usopp asked as Pigero turned to him and Nami.

"Think about it, if your attack would've hit them instead of Zoro, then those two would've came after us instead. In a way, Zoro was trying to protect us." Pigero explained.

Nami looked at Zoro's other two swords on the ground after Sham dropped them and said, "Still, he can't do much without his other swords. I'll get them back!"

"Wait, let me do it instead!" Usopp offered while trying to stand up, but had trouble doing so.

"But look at you, you can barely stand on your own two feet, just leave this to me." Nami said before she felt a hand on her shoulder as she and Usopp saw Pigero standing up with a serious look on his face.

"No way, you should stay here with Usopp, if anyone's going to get those swords, it's me." Pigero said surprising Nami and Usopp.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Usopp asked a little uneasily.

"Yeah, what if one of those pirates try to stop you with their weapons?" Nami asked.

"Don't worry about me, I've been dealing with pirates on my own for quite a while. I'll take care of this." Pigero said before he jumped down from where he, Usopp, and Nami were standing and ran off to get the swords, something that caught Jango's eye as he got his ring ready.

"Almost there!" Pigero thought as he got closer to the swords, but just as he touched one of them, Jango stepped on them and then he slashed Pigero in the chest with his sharp metal ring as Pigero collapsed on the ground while Zoro, Usopp, and Nami were taken by surprise.

"Pigero!" Nami and Usopp yelled to their new friend who had a hand on the wound from Jango's ring.

"You again?" Pigero grunted as Jango twirled his ring easily with just one finger.

"Naughty, naughty, and just when it was starting to get good." Jango smirked, but then he looked at the top and panicked when he, and everyone else saw Klahadore, who was really Kuro, on the top with a bag in one hand and he looked anything but happy.

"Jango, you know how I feel about tardiness. It was bad enough to see someone with a tail in the village fighting Mercenary Tao!" Kuro said angrily.

"Uh, Captain Kuro... I can explain." Jango said in fear as Kuro looked at the damage done to the area.

"Okay, then tell me..." Kuro started out calmly, then he looked really angry as he shouted, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?"

* * *

Back in the village, Tao and Tarble were clashing with each other once again with some of the villagers watching the battle take place while Onion ran off with Carrot and Pepper for some reason.

"I don't believe this, he keeps blocking my attacks like they were nothing, and it feels like he's getting stronger as the fight goes on! How is that even possible!?" Tao thought as he tried to go for a kick, but Tarble simply grabbed his leg and bashed him into the ground a couple of times, spun once, and then threw him into a tree that came down after impact.

Tao got to his feet a little slowly as he glared at Tarble and thought, "That's it, I don't care how much this prince has anymore! I will not stop until he's dead in front of my own eyes!"

"Give it up Tao, you can't win like this! This fight's been going on for a while now, and there's a difference in our power levels, I can tell!" Tarble said seriously as Tao got angrier.

"Why that little... He would be dust in the wind by now!" Tao thought before he saw Tarble's Scouter and thought, "Wait a minute, that strange device on his face somehow tells where I am at any given time, doesn't it? So, without that, he'll be an easy target for me and my Dodon Ray!" then he chuckled and yelled out to Tarble, "You're as good as dead now!"

"What does he mean by that?" Tarble asked himself in confusion before Tao charged towards him as Tarble wrapped his tail around his waist just to be safe as Tao tried to attack with a barrage of punches and kicks that Tarble was blocking until he tried to go for a punch himself.

Tao saw an opening, smirked and yelled, "Now I've got you!" then he punched Tarble in the face hard, cracking the blue glass on his Scouter quite a bit as it sparked a little as Tarble skidded back a bit and saw the damage done to his Scouter as he took it off his face.

Tao laughed, "Looks like your little device is broken! Now you won't be able to find me that easily anymore! You probably feel so scared without your device helping you now, do you!? This battle, as well as your own life, are mine now! There's no way you can win!"

Tarble looked at his broken Scouter, then back at Tao, still looking serious, then he suddenly dropped the Scouter as it landed in front of his feet before he placed his foot on his Scouter as he said, "I wouldn't be too sure of that." then he took everyone, especially Tao by surprise when he suddenly, and easily, crushed the Scouter under his foot, reducing it to pieces before Tarble continued with, "I can assure you I'll still beat you, even without my Scouter!"

"You just destroyed your own device! It helped you out, why did you destroy it!?" Tao asked in shock.

"Because, as of now, I don't even need it anymore! I can now sense power levels on my own!" Tarble said catching Tao off guard along with those watching the fight.

"Whoa, is he serious?" one villager whispered.

"He could be." another villager whispered back.

"You're bluffing... You're bluffing! There's no way ANYONE in the East Blue taught you how to sense without that device!" Tao yelled angrily.

Tarble didn't say anything for a couple of seconds, then he finally said, "You're right, no one in the East Blue did. I've just figured it out on my own."

"I see, so you've figured it out on your own? I must say, that's a lucky break for you." Tao said with a dark smirk, then his face changed into a scowl as he yelled, "Too bad your luck just ran out Monkey Boy... NOW PREPARE TO DIE!" then Tao charged towards Tarble once again, this time with a sword in his hand.

* * *

Back with the pirates, Kuro was still glaring at Jango as he said, "I entrusted you to begin the plan Jango, but I now see that you've failed me, along with the rest of the Black Cat Pirates."

"But Captain, I..." Jango started as Pigero tried to get up off the ground until Kuro interrupted him.

"Silence! You fool, I knew I shouldn't have trusted you and a bunch of clowns pretending to be pirates!" Kuro yelled making the Meowban Brothers angry as they suddenly charged towards Kuro, completely forgetting Zoro.

"Weak are we!?" Sham yelled.

"We'll show you how much stronger we've gotten!" Buchi yelled as the Meowban Brothers tried to slash Kuro with their claws, but Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero were surprised to see that Kuro was easily dodging the attacks.

"Wow, their attacks aren't doing anything." Nami said in awe then Kuro opened his bag and got out two gloves with sharp sword-like claws on them as he put them and easily slashed the Meowban Brothers away with them, shocking Pigero, Nami, Zoro, and Usopp.

"This guy, he can't be human!" Pigero thought in shock.

"He easily defeated those two with those gloves!" Usopp thought in shock as Kuro turned his attention back to Jango while pushing his glasses up with the palm of his hand.

"Jango, since I'm a forgiving kind of a guy, I'll give you a chance to save yourself and everyone else here. Fix this situation in five minutes or else you and everyone else here will pay dearly!" Kuro threatened scaring Jango and the Black Cat Pirates.

"Right, I'm on it!" Jango yelled before he turned to Buchi who was in front of him and hypnotized by saying, "One, Two, Jango, you'll become stronger! One... Two... JANGO!" it worked as Buchi felt like he was stronger and his eyes were milky white now as Jango ordered, "Now, go and take care of them! Start with the swordsman!"

"Oh no, Zoro!" Pigero thought as he saw Buchi charge towards Zoro, but then he grunted while all of the rocks around him and Jango suddenly floated up into the air.

"Huh? Hey, what's going on?" Usopp asked as he, Nami, and everyone else, even Kuro saw the floating rocks that were starting to gather around Pigero's head, taking them by surprise.

"What's this!?" Kuro asked in shock as Pigero turned to Jango and drew his head back a bit.

"**Brek-Brek... HEADBUTT!**" Pigero then rammed his head into Jango's gut, causing him to double over in pain and releasing his foot from Zoro's swords as Pigero stood up and said, "Yes, it worked." then he grabbed the swords, turned to Zoro and yelled, "Zoro, catch!" then he threw the swords over to Zoro who smirked and caught the swords and got into his Three-Sword Style stance.

"Nice save, now... **TIGER HUNT!**" Zoro attacked Buchi with his swords, easily defeating him, even when he was hypnotized while the Black Cat Pirates recovered and saw what happened.

"I don't believe it, he just defeated Buchi even when he was hypnotized." one of the Black Cat Pirates said in awe.

"Forget about that, that kid with the headband made a bunch of rocks gather around him and smashed into Captain Jango!" another Black Cat Pirate yelled in shock as the rocks dropped from Pigero's head.

"DO YOU MIND TELLING US WHAT THE HELL YOU JUST DID!?" Nami yelled angrily at Pigero.

"First Luffy can stretch himself, and now Pigero can use rocks as a weapon... WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?" Usopp yelled the last part with his hands on his head.

Zoro turned to Pigero, smirked and said, "Not bad Pigero. Let me guess, you've eaten a Devil Fruit, didn't you?"

Pigero nodded and said, "That's right, I ate the Brek-Brek Fruit, it allows me to use any form of Earth as my own weapon. I guess you can call me a Brek-Brek person." (A/N: All credit for the name of that Devil Fruit goes to Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint. Greymon, if you're reading this, then kudos to you my friend!)

"I see, I've heard rumors about these Devil Fruits, but I just they were just rumors." Kuro said silently as Nami ran over to Luffy, which caught Jango's eyes as Kuro calmly said, "Your time is slipping Jango."

"You sneaky bitch!" Jango yelled while throwing his ring over to Nami, shocking the others.

"LUFFY, WAKE UP YOU LAZY BUM!" Nami yelled not noticing the ring coming her way as she stepped on Luffy's face to wake him.

"NAMI, LOOK OUT!" Zoro and Pigero yelled while Zoro dropped the sword that was in his mouth as Nami turned to see the ring that was about to slice her up, but then...

"NAMI, YOU CANNOT JUST GO AROUND STEPPING ON PEOPLE'S FACE!" Luffy got up while holding Nami's ankle, causing her to trip as the ring missed Nami and flew right into Luffy's face.

"Oh no!" Pigero yelled as Nami fell on her back and Luffy's body was forced back a bit.

"Uh, Luffy?" Nami asked silently just before Luffy stood upright as everyone saw that he caught the sharp ring with his teeth, then he bit down on it, breaking it into a bunch of pieces.

"Hey, you're okay!" Pigero yelled while running a little over to Luffy and Nami.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled happily, but Luffy saw the little cut on the side of his mouth as he poked it a bit, then he held his mouth in pain as he let out a loud scream of pain, causing some of the pirates to cover their ears.

"Hey, that hurt you jerk! Why did you do that!?" Luffy yelled at Nami, thinking she was the one who threw the ring.

"That wasn't me Sleeping Beauty, it was the hypnotist! Just look what he did to Pigero!" Nami yelled back while pointing at Pigero as Luffy saw the wound Pigero got from Jango's weapon.

Luffy looked concerned as he asked, "Oh no, Pigero, are you okay? Let me see!"

"It's okay Luffy, I'm fine really." Pigero tried to ease, even though the blood from his wound was starting to soak up his shirt.

"I hardly call that fine! Look at it, it's really starting to bleed bad!" Nami yelled while standing next to Luffy who turned to look at the ships.

"Hey, isn't that your boat next to ours?" Luffy asked while pointing at a small boat with a black, old looking sail next to the boat Nami took from the Buggy Pirates.

"Yeah, that's it, that's the boat I got here in." Pigero answered as Nami suddenly turned to Luffy.

"Listen, I'll stay around this area to protect my treasure and then see what I can steal from the Black Cat Pirates, you go and take care of that butler, and do it for the treasure, understand?" Nami asked as Luffy sighed and picked up his hat as he put it back on.

"Yeah, I understand." Luffy answered like a child who was forced to do his chores to make his Mother happy.

"Good boy." Nami said, then she turned to Pigero and said, "And you, don't overdo it with that wound, got it?"

"Right, I understand." Pigero answered with a nod before he and Luffy ran back to the others, but then...

"I'll get you for what you did to me!" Jango suddenly yelled at Pigero with a couple more rings in his hands as he twirled them, taking the others by surprise.

"How many of those things does that guy even have!?" Usopp asked in shock.

* * *

In town, Tao was trying to slash Tarble with his sword, but the Saiyan Prince kept dodging the sword attacks as Tao was easily slashing many trees in the way instead.

"Man, this guy's pretty dangerous with that blade, he could probably give Zoro a challenge." Tarble thought as he jumped back away from Tao's sword.

"My Dodon Ray might have destroyed only your clothes, but my blade will make quick work of your heart!" Tao yelled as he charged towards Tarble with the sword ready to strike through the Saiyan's heart, but as he was ready to strike, he, along with everyone watching, were surprised to see that Tarble was holding on to the blade using only his hands as he struggled a bit to keep it away from his body as Tao grunted, "I've got to be dreaming!"

"I hope you've paid a lot for this little toothpick!" Tarble grunted as he encased his hands in purple aura and had no problem snapping Tao's sword into two as he tossed the blade behind him with no care as Tao was shocked beyond words as he dropped the half of the sword he was holding.

"He's no fighter, nor is he a pirate." a villager whispered while shaking a bit.

"You're right, he's a monster." another villager whispered back.

"But he saved the kid, so he can't be that bad... right?" a third villager whispered while some other villagers shrugged their shoulders.

"This can't be happening, I'm the notorious mercenary known throughout the East Blue, he can't beat me this easily!" Tao thought while glaring at Tarble.

"Tao, before we continue with the fight, let me ask you just one little question." Tarble said catching everyone else off guard.

"A question? Fine, what is it?" Tao asked in annoyance.

"Do you recall anyone by the name of Monkey D. Luffy?" Tarble asked confusing Tao.

"Monkey D. Luffy? Why are you asking this?" Tao asked back.

"Because last night, I was telling him about you, and he said that you did something to him when he was a child! You took the life of someone very important to him, didn't you!?" Tarble yelled while pointing at Tao who thought it over a little.

"As a child?" Tao asked, then he looked at the sky and chuckled a little before he told Tarble, "That's right, I remember now, I killed the woman this Luffy calls his Mother, and right before his very eyes, so his whole village could see."

"You... YOU WHAT!?" Tarble yelled getting angrier by the second.

"Yes, Monkey D. Fiona, that's her name. And I remember that day very well." Tao smirked as he thought back to the day he visited Luffy's village. (A/N: I didn't really know the name of Luffy's Mother, so I had to improvise. Please don't get mad viewers.)

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Tao was in the middle of Luffy's village years ago standing face-to-face with a woman who had kinda the same facial expression as Luffy along with short black hair, while the villagers watched what was going on, including Makino and Luffy who was hiding behind the woman facing Tao._

_"You big meanie, why are you here if you're just gonna cause trouble!?" Luffy yelled at Tao before the woman placed a hand on his head._

_"I'm just here for a little vacation, nothing more, and I've heard about this quiet little village, so I thought this could be a good vacation spot. But, if you have a problem with it boy, don't be afraid to just say so." Tao said with a dark look on his face, causing Luffy to shake up a little._

_"Leave him out of this, he's just a boy!" the woman in front of Luffy yelled causing Tao to look at her._

_"And who are you to keep him safe away from me?" Tao asked the woman._

_"I happen to be his Mother, Monkey D. Fiona!" Fiona replied seriously, then she smirked and said, "And if YOU don't want any trouble from ME, you might want to leave this island before things get ugly!"_

_"Yeah, tell him Mama!" Luffy cheered for his Mom._

_"Is that a threat? I should warn you, I don't take kindly to threats." Tao said taking one step towards Fiona._

_"Luffy, go over to Makino where it's safe." Fiona whispered to her son as he nodded and went over to the kind barkeeper before Fiona said to Tao, "And it's only fair to warn YOU that I'm no ordinary woman, I happen to be a tough fighter myself, I've been trained by my husband's Father, Garp!"_

_"Oh really? This should be interesting." Tao said casually as Fiona got into fighting position while Tao just kept his hands behind his back._

_"I hope Fiona knows what she's doing." Makino said sounding worried._

_"It'll be okay Makino, no one can beat Mama in a battle, she's the toughest woman around!" Luffy assured, but Makino wasn't so sure, but she tried to stay strong for Luffy._

_"Are you ready for you ticket off this island?" Fiona asked with confidence._

_"Are YOU ready for your end?" Tao asked back making Fiona and Luffy angry._

_"HEY, DON'T TALK TO MY MAMA THAT WAY! SHE CAN TAKE ON BORING GUYS LIKE YOU ANY DAY!" Luffy yelled angrily._

_"That's enough Luffy, let Mama take care of this! After this, the two of us can go and grab some meat, what do you say?" Fiona offered making Luffy drool a little._

_"You can do it Mama, show him who's boss!" Luffy cheered happily while Makino kept a hand on Luffy's shoulder, still looking worried for Fiona._

_"Your son seems to have a lot of faith in you, too bad he'll be disappointed very soon." Tao said calmly._

_"We'll see about that!" Fiona yelled before she ran towards Tao with a punch ready, but as she tried to punch him, Mercenary Tao easily caught her fist, taking everyone else, especially Luffy, Fiona, and Makino by surprise._

_"Oh my, you seem to be a little stuck, aren't you? Let's try something else, shall we?" Tao asked calmly as he now held Fiona's fist with only his index finger and thumb, but the fist was still stuck with Fiona struggling to free it as Tao then said, "Still suck ma'am? Don't fret, I'll take care of it." then he kicked Fiona in the gut, causing her to slide back, giving quite some distance between her and Tao, shocking everyone, especially Luffy and Makino, even more._

_"Oh no, Fiona!" Makino cried in concern._

_"Mama!" Luffy cried in concern._

_"Oh dear, it looks like I put a little too much into that." Tao said without a care for what he just did as Fiona came charging at him again._

_"Just try that again, you bastard!" Fiona yelled as she got another punch ready for Tao._

_"Still raring to go, are we?" Tao asked calmly as he dodged the punches and kicks Fiona was throwing his way just before he used his ponytail to slap Fiona hard across the face, sending her a couple of inches away from him, that's when Tao said, "Piece of cake."_

_"That's what you think, but I'm not out of this yet!" Fiona grunted with some bruises on her, including one big one on her right cheek where Tao's ponytail hit her as she tried to stay on her feet._

_"You've got a strong fire burning in your heart, perhaps it's time for me to put it out." Tao said with his index finger in front of him while aiming it at Fiona, scaring some of the villagers watching. _

_"Oh no!" one villager cried in fear._

_"He's going to use his technique!" another villager cried._

_"I'll have you know, I only use this on rare occasions, so consider yourself lucky... for the last time." Tao said dangerously low and Fiona knew right away what he was gonna do, so she turned to Luffy and Makino._

_"Makino, promise me you'll take good care of Luffy for me." Foina said sadly as Makino had tears in her eyes as she slowly nodded her head while Luffy looked confused yet scared at the same time._

_"Mama?" Luffy asked sadly._

_"Luffy, there's something you should know, you've made me very proud son. Grow up to be the pirate you want to be Sweetheart. I love you, my son." Fiona said softly letting a single tear leave her eye._

_"**DODON RAY!**" Tao then fired his Dodon Ray at Fiona, going right through her chest where her heart was beating as she landed on the ground with blood escaping from her wound as tears were now in Luffy's eyes as he looked at his Mother's body on the ground, now void of life._

_"MAMA!" Luffy cried as he ran over to his Mother's body and tried to shake her away while yelling, "Mama, wake up! Please get up, you can't let him win Mama!"_

_"That's another fool who has fallen victim to my Dodon Ray, and she won't be the last. Now, I think I'll just leave this spot and enjoy my vacation some more." Tao said while casually walking away as Luffy growled at him with tears still in his eyes._

_"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!" Luffy shouted angrily and tried to get Tao, but Makino came and held him back._

_"No, Luffy, don't! He's too dangerous!" Makino tried as Luffy struggled in her arms._

_"But I have to try! He..." Luffy stopped struggling and was now crying in Makino's arms as he cried, "H-He killed Mama!"_

_"I know Luffy, I know, I'm so sorry." Makino said as she let her tears fall down silently as she held Luffy in her arms, softly patted his back and rocked him gently back and forth as she let Luffy cry on her shoulder as Tao casually walked away from the area._

_Flashback end:_

* * *

"That's what happens when someone gets in my way, even if it's a man, a woman, or a child, be they pirate, bounty hunter, or a marine." Tao said with a smirk as Tarble was growling angrily, he was so angry at Tao that the fur on his tail suddenly flared up and a couple of veins are seen on his forehead.

"You heartless bastard! What's your problem, what did Luffy and his Mother ever do to you!?" Tarble yelled angrily as Tao scowled at the Saiyan Prince.

"It's my thing, I AM a killer after all. And telling you that little story made me want to kill YOU even more than before! I WILL KILL YOU WITH MY OWN HANDS!" Tao yelled before he charged towards Tarble who didn't move a muscle as he kept growling at the mercenary he was fighting.

* * *

Back with the pirates, Luffy and Pigero were ready to take on Jango who had his rings ready to strike, but then...

"Klahadore!" everyone turned to see Kaya on the top with a pistol in her hands while pointing it at Kuro.

"Now now Ms. Kaya, you really don't want to shoot me with that, do you?" Kuro asked smoothly while Kaya's hands were shaking.

"I really don't want to Klahadore. Why are you doing this anyway? Don't you remember all the good times we had together?" Kaya begged with tears in her eyes.

"I'm afraid it was all a trick. For three years, I focused on gaining the trust of everyone in this village while getting closer and closer to your fortune. I never cared about someone like you one bit." Kuro said, making Usopp angry when he saw the hurt expression on Kaya's face just as Kuro was about to slash at Kaya.

"Look out!" Usopp yelled as he tackled Kaya to the ground before Kuro could slash at them both.

"Usopp, are you okay?" Kaya asked in concern as Usopp just laid on the ground.

Usopp looked at her and asked, "Kaya, what are you doing here?"

"Oh Usopp, I'm so sorry, I don't know how you'll ever forgive me. I just couldn't believe that Klahadore is a scheming, murdering pirate!" Kaya said mournfully.

"Never mind that! Why are you here? Kaya, your life is in danger, I told you to run somewhere safe!" Usopp gasped as more tears welled up in Kaya's eyes.

"I won't! You're still here fighting, I won't run!" Kaya screamed, taking Usopp, Luffy, Pigero, Nami, and Zoro by surprise as she continued tearfully, "You... you fought for me after I treated you so badly! Look at you, you're barely alive, but you're still so brave. I just..."

"This is no place for a lady. Madam, please leave." Kuro suddenly spoke up as Kaya stood up and glared at Kuro with rage.

"Look, I've heard that you're after my wealth, if you and those pirates leave the village alone and never come back... then you can have everything!" Kaya yelled taking Luffy, Pigero, Zoro, Nami, and especially Usopp aback.

Kuro simply chuckled and pushed his glasses up again as he explained, "I appreciate the offer Ms. Kaya, but I'm afraid I want more than just your wealth, I simply want... peace. Yet, even with you begging me, the Black Cat Pirates will still attack Syrup Village and kill you." he was busy with the explanation that he, Jango, and the rest of the Black Cat Pirates didn't even notice that Pigero was whispering something to Luffy, and it was enough to make the rubber captain grin with a nod.

Usopp was growling as he suddenly grabbed the pistol Kaya dropped stood in front of her, aimed the pistol at Kuro and shouted, "KURO, YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD!" and the he took a shot, but Kuro swiftly dodged the attack and swiftly got behind Usopp with his cat claws ready to kill.

"You know, I still owe you for punching me yesterday." Kuro said darkly getting ready for the kill, until...

"USOPP, DUCK!" Luffy suddenly shouted as he launched Pigero from his stretched out arms while rocks gathered around Pigero's fist as Usopp did as he was told and ducked down with Kuro looking shocked.

"**BREK-BREK PUNCH!**" Pigero then punched Kuro across the face with his fist that was surrounded by rocks sending him down to the ground.

"If you hate getting hit like that, then you're in for a REALLY bad day!" Luffy told Kuro who was glaring at him and Pigero, but then...

"THE USOPP PIRATES ARE HERE!" Carrot, Pepper, and Onion came out of nowhere and they beat up Kuro's face with a shovel, a frying pan, and a baseball bat.

"It's those kids from yesterday." Pigero thought in shock as he and everyone else saw the Usopp Pirates mercilessly beating Kuro with their weapons of choice.

"Kids stop, it's not safe for you to be here!" Kaya yelled as the Usopp Pirates stopped beating on Kuro and they were panting like crazy now.

"Guy, hurry, you need to run!" Usopp yelled to his crew who turned to him.

"We can't leave you here Captain!" Carrot protested.

"If you're fighting, so are we!" Pepper added.

"It will bring shame to the Usopp Pirates if we run away!" Onion added, bringing tears to Usopp's eyes.

"You guys... In that case, listen to your captain and protect Kaya!" everyone stood silently as Usopp continued with, "Do as I say, don't argue with me! I'm giving you the most important task there is right now, it's absolutely critical you succeed! Take Kaya away from here, you must keep her safe. This is the reason we wanted to become pirates, to protect what's dear to us! Now do as I say and RUN!" by this time, the Usopp Pirates had tears in their eyes as they nodded in understanding as Usopp finished with, "Now go, that's a direct order!"

"YES CAPTAIN!" the Usopp Pirates cried out before they took Kaya, but Jango wouldn't have that as he ran after them, but Usopp hit him with a Lead Star to get him to stop.

"You're not going anywhere!" Usopp yelled while struggling to stay on his feet.

"Jango, hurry after them, this runt can't be a threat to you! Now hurry or you'll suffer dearly!" Kuro threatened, scaring Jango a bit.

"NEVER!" Usopp suddenly shouted as everyone turned to him as he looked at Kuro and continued with, "You won't get away with this, I won't let you! You betrayed the villagers trust! Not to mention you tried to take the life of a sweet, young girl! This is the last time you'll EVER get your way!"

"Usopp." Pigero said softly, Jango already went after the Usopp Pirates and Kaya by now.

"Usopp!" Luffy cried in concern as Usopp tried to walk, but he was in too much pain to do so.

Kuro laughed at Usopp before he taunted him by saying, "Even if you did manage to get Jango, you'll just end up dead. You're better off staying on this spot right here."

"I don't care!" Usopp croaked from where he tried to stand as he continued with, "I don't care if I'm weak, I'll protect them!" tears came to his eyes as he continued with, "I am Captain of the Usopp Pirates, a brave warrior of the sea who fights for what he holds dear! I will protect everyone in the village even if it kills me! ON MY WORD, YOU WILL NEVER SET FOOT IN THIS VILLAGE!"

"Usopp." Pigero said silently with a small smile, but the Black Cat Pirates were laughing at Usopp's vow.

The laughing made Luffy angry as he picked up a boulder and then he threw it at them before he asked, "What the hell is so funny!?" while glaring at them with a wild look in his eyes, scaring them some more.

"Luffy!" Zoro called as he picked Usopp up from the ground and carried him over his shoulder as Luffy turned to them as Zoro said, "Me and Usopp are gonna chase down that Hypno Freak, is that a problem?"

"No, hurry!" Luffy called back as Zoro nodded and got ready to go after Jango with Usopp, until Kuro got in front of them.

"And who gave you permission to go anywhere!?" Kuro hissed with his claws ready to strike.

"I'm giving them permission! **Brek-Brek Headbutt!**" Pigero slammed his rock covered head into Kuro's gut, causing him to skid back some and giving Zoro the chance to go after Jango with Usopp.

"Why you, take this Rock Boy!" Kuro yelled angrily as he got ready to slash Pigero, but Luffy stretched his arm and gave Kuro a good punch to the face.

"Pigero, follow Zoro and Usopp and go after that hypnotist!" Luffy yelled as Pigero nodded and ran off to find Jango, leaving Kuro to Luffy.

* * *

Back in the village, Tao gave Tarble a good punch to the gut, then he followed it up with a barrage of punches and kicks to the Saiyan's chest, gut, and face before he grabbed his leg and bashed him into the ground at least ten times before he tossed him into the air and Tao jumped up and kicked Tarble in the back, down to the ground as Tarble landed face first on the ground, not moving from the spot as Tao landed in front of him.

"Oh no, this isn't good." one villager whispered in fear.

"He fought a good battle, but now it's over." another villager sighed sadly as did some other villagers.

Tao laughed at the Saiyan in front of him, "See!? It looks like you needed that device of yours after all! Too bad you crushed it under your own foot, now it'll be the cause of your own demise! From the beginning, you were a fool to challenge me, just like that fool Monkey D. Fiona, and you'll share the same fate as her!"

One of the villagers took a look at Tarble who twitched a bit from where he laid as the villager looked shocked and said, "Unbelievable!"

Then, without warning, Tarble suddenly sprang to his feet shocking the villagers, and mostly Tao as Tarble looked like he only had a couple small bruises on his face as he asked, "The enough of a handicap for you, 'Killer'?"

"Th-Th-This can't be happening!" Tao stuttered in shock.

"If you're done, then it's my turn!" Tarble yelled before he charged towards Tao, who looked angry.

"I WILL CRUSH YOU!" Tao yelled as he tried to punch Tarble, but he only got an image that looked like Tarble as the real deal punched Tao in the gut hard, sending the mercenary skidding back a few feet as Tarble jumped up then landed on Tao's shoulders to give him a few fast punches to the face, followed by a kick to the face, a kick to the chin, and then wrapped it up with a roundhouse kick to the gut, sending Tao on his back as Tarble landed in front of him.

"Give it up Tao, like I told you before, you can't win like this! Save yourself now by giving up the fight!" Tarble said seriously as Tao struggled to get off his back.

"I don't understand this, how are you this strong?" Tao grunted.

Tarble smirked while getting into fighting position, "The longer a Saiyan fights, the stronger he becomes." that shocked the villagers and Tao even more.

"I can't believe this! This is impossible! I can't surrender to someone like him, I can never look at myself in the mirror again!" Tao thought as his eyes narrowed before he thought, "Looks like I have no other choice."

Then Tao suddenly got on his hands and knees in front of Tarble and declared, "I give up! You win!" that confused Tarble and the villagers as Tao continued with, "I admit my defeat, I'm sorry. I'll change my ways, I'll never harm anyone ever again!" then Tao mixed it up with some tears as he cried, "Please let me go, I'm sorry!"

"I've never seen this side of Mercenary Tao before." one villager pointed out.

"I guess there's a first time for everything, especially if you've been fighting someone like him." another villager mentioned while pointing at Tarble who dropped his fighting position.

Tarble hesitated a little before he looked at Tao and said, "I guess I can let you go, but I'm not the one you should apologize to. The person you should apologize to is Luffy for killing his Mother when he was a child. After you apologize to him, I'll think about accepting your apology to me. Come on, let's go find him."

"Really?" Tao asked while Tarble nodded his head, just then Tao suddenly laughed and pulled something out of his pants pocket as he started with, "In that case..."

"It's a bomb!" a villager yelled in fear.

"ACCEPT THIS APOLOGY WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!" Tao shouted as he pulled the trigger on the bomb and threw it Tarble's way.

"EVERYBODY RUN!" one villager shouted in fear before he and the other villagers ran away in fear.

"So long suckers!" Tao yelled before he jumped up high into the air.

"Big mistake Tao!" Tarble yelled before he ran after the bomb, and then he knocked it into the sky with his tail as Tao looked shocked when the bomb was now in front of him.

Then Tao screamed as the bomb exploded in the air as Tarble ducked down as the sky got covered in a big smoke cloud.

When the smoke cleared, Tarble and the villagers looked up to see that Mercenary Tao was nowhere to be seen as Tarble tried to sense him out, when he couldn't sense anything, he said, "I can't sense his power level anymore. Mercenary Tao is dead."

"H-He's dead!?" a villager asked in shock as Tarble nodded his head, then the villagers suddenly shouted in glee as they cheered for the death of Mercenary Tao.

"My boy, you've saved not only us, but the entire East Blue from the wrath of Mercenary Tao! I don't care if you're a pirate, you're a hero!" a villager yelled happily while holding Tarble's hands while the other villagers cheered for Tarble who blushed lightly.

Tarble then looked at the sky, smiled and thought, "I did it Luffy, your Mom can rest in peace now."

Then Tarble spotted a butler with a sheep head like hairdo with bandages wrapped around him as the butler looked confused and asked, "What on Earth is going on here!?"

"Merry, rejoice, this young man has defeated Mercenary Tao once and for all!" a villager yelled happily shocking the butler named Merry as he looked at Tarble who sheepishly waved at him.

* * *

What a day this has been for Luffy and his pirate crew, they stopped Kuro and the Black Cat Pirates from destroying the village (A/N: If you don't know what I'm talking about, you'll understand if you guys watch One Piece... and yes, I'm skipping Luffy's fight with Kuro and Jango's defeat as well.), they've discovered that their new friend Pigero is a Devil Fruit user as well, and Tarble has save the whole East Blue from Mercenary Tao. Will that be enough to get Luffy's pirate crew a new ship? Will Luffy even get more crew members as an added bonus? Luffy and his crew leave Usopp's island and set sail once again next time on The X-Pirates!


	11. Set Sail for a Tournament

Last time on The X-Pirates, Just as Jango had the Meowban Brothers go after Zoro, Kuro arrived and it wasn't gonna be good for the Black Cat Pirates. Luckily, Luffy had some help with Zoro beating Buchi down with his Three-Sword Style attack, Tiger Hunt, and Pigero also shocked everyone by showing them his power that was given to him when he ate a Devil Fruit called the Brek-Brek Fruit which allows him to use rocks as his own weapon, and soon Luffy was able to defeat Kuro and chased the Black Cat Pirates off the island while Usopp and Zoro defeated Jango in the woods. Meanwhile, Tarble and Tao continued their fight in the village. During the fight, Tao revealed to Tarble that he killed Luffy's Mother, Monkey D. Fiona in Luffy's village years ago, and that was enough to make Tarble very angry. Just then, Tao decided to throw in the towel, but it was a trick and he decided to wind up the battle with a bang with the bomb he had in his pocket. Only thing Tao didn't count on was Tarble sending the bomb right back at the mercenary himself just before it exploded. When the smoke cleared, Mercenary Tao was dead and everyone in the village rejoiced, but there are still some matters that Luffy and his crew need to take care of before they're ready to set out again.

Set Sail for a Tournament

Tarble managed to get away from Merry and the cheering villagers and ran off to find Luffy and the others, using his senses he found Luffy and Nami on the Northern shore sitting down with Luffy's hat in Nami's hand with a bag full of treasure Nami got from the Black Cat Pirates.

"Looks like they already took care of Kuro and the Black Cat Pirates." Tarble thought before he saw all of the wounds on Luffy's body as Tarble walked over to Luffy and Nami.

Nami looked behind her, saw the Saiyan, and greeted, "Oh hey Tarble." which caused Luffy to look at the Saiyan who was now standing next to him.

"Hey guys, I see you took care of the Black Cat Pirates and Kuro, judging by the damage done here." Tarble said while looking around.

"Yeah, you should've seen it. Pigero was a big help to us, like me, he ate a Devil Fruit himself." Luffy said with a silly grin, surprising Tarble.

"I see, what kind of Devil Fruit powers does he have?" Tarble asked.

"He can make rocks come to him and he can use them to punch or headbutt an enemy, it was so cool!" Luffy explained happily as Tarble turned to Nami for a little more details.

"The Brek-Brek Fruit, that's the name of the Devil Fruit that gave Pigero his powers." Nami added making more sense for Tarble.

Luffy noticed that Tarble's Scouter was not on his face and he was missing a glove before he asked, "Hey Tarble, what happened to one of your gloves, and where's that strange device you usually wear on your face?"

"You mean my Scouter?" Tarble asked as Luffy sat up and nodded as Tarble explained, "Well, it got destroyed when I was fighting Tao in the village, same with my glove when I blocked his Dodon Ray with my hand."

"Oh yeah, how did it go?" Nami asked as she placed Luffy's hat back on his head before Tarble explained what happened during his fight with Tao.

After the explanation, Luffy and Nami were shocked as Nami asked, "You mean you killed him!?"

"I didn't have much of a choice, if I didn't hit the bomb into the air, the whole village would've been destroyed. It exploded in the air and Mercenary Tao got caught in the blast, then he was gone when the smoke cleared." Tarble said as he turned to Luffy, sighed and said, "Luffy, I know you hate killers and all, but I just hope that you can-" Tarble couldn't finish because he was shocked when Luffy got to his feet and gave the Saiyan a big hug.

"Thank you Tarble." Luffy whispered before he let Tarble go just before Pigero came back with Zoro and Usopp behind him.

"Everything's okay now Luffy, me and Usopp took care of that freaky hypnotist and saved that girl and the kids." Zoro told his captain.

"They didn't even need my help to do so." Pigero added with a shrug before he looked at his boat and ran over to it.

"Nice work guys, and Tarble took care of Mercenary Tao." Luffy said happily while Tarble sheepishly rubbed the back of his head while Nami stood up as well.

"Thanks guys, I wouldn't have been able to protect the village without you." Usopp told them honestly.

"No problem Usopp, glad to help." Tarble said as Pigero came back to them with a sack of his own as well as what looked like a black book in his hands.

Zoro looked up before he said, "Give credit where credit is due. If you had just stood back and done nothing, I wouldn't have done anything either."

"Yeah, same here." Luffy agreed.

"Who cares about any of that? I've got my hands on this sweet, sweet treasure now and I couldn't be happier!" Nami said while hugging her bag of treasure until she saw the stuff Pigero was carrying and asked, "Hey, what's that you got there Pigero?"

"Oh this? This is a bag of treasure I got from some pirates before I came to this island. You can have it if you like, I don't really want all that gold anyway." Pigero said while handing his bag of treasure to Nami who happily took it and started to hug the two treasure bags again as Pigero held up the black book in his hand and said, "Besides, this is what I consider my treasure, it's very important to me."

"Why is a book so important to you?" Zoro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not just a book, it's my journal. I'm chronicling my journey out in the sea. I've decided when I was younger that I wanted to be a great pirate like my parents were." Pigero explained confusing the others.

"Whoa, your parents were pirates that sailed out at sea?" Usopp asked sounding happy while Luffy looked excited.

"Some of the best pirates around." Pigero said happily, but then he looked sad as he looked at the sea and continued with, "But they died when I was only five years old."

"Don't tell me, they were killed by another band of pirates, right?" Nami said with a look of hatred on her face while Pigero shook his head.

"It was that no-good Mercenary Tao, wasn't it?" Luffy asked angrily, but Pigero shook his head again.

"Were they killed by bounty hunters?" Zoro asked with a raised eyebrow, but Pigero just shook his head once again.

"So, if your parents weren't killed by other pirates, a mercenary, or bounty hunters, then who did?" Tarble asked really wanting to know by now.

"It was the marines." Pigero finally answered shocking Luffy, his crew, and Usopp as Pigero continued with, "That's right, those so-called heroes of the world took my parents away from me when I was five, and ever since that day, I grew a deep hatred for anyone in the marines! I was lucky enough to get away from the marines thanks to my Dad. Just before he and my Mom were taken away, my Dad told me, 'Pigero, my son, live your life the way you want to, live it to the fullest, don't let anything keep you down!' After that, he told me his biggest dream was to sail the waters around the entire world, then he was taken away and was killed along with my Mother."

Luffy, Nami, Tarble, and Usopp looked at Pigero in sadness and with sympathy while Zoro just crossed his arms and closed his eyes before he asked, "So, I guess you've been on your own with that book of yours, training yourself after that day, right?"

"Yeah, but about a year after that, I happened to come across a strange fruit that was the same color as a rock, it was the Brek-Brek Fruit that gave me my powers. Of course, I didn't know what the Devil Fruits were at the time, and I was pretty much starving when I found it, so I ate the whole fruit, and I didn't even know what it did to me until I continued my training when rocks suddenly gathered around me." Pigero explained with a sheepish look on his face while Zoro placed two fingers on his forehead in annoyance while Nami smacked her forehead.

"So, I guess you used the Brek-Brek powers you've gained to your advantage?" Usopp asked as Pigero nodded his head.

"Soon, I've decided to live out my Father's dream and sail the waters around the world, and I've been doing great so far as the years went by, then I came here and ran into you guys." Pigero finished explaining.

"Whoa, that's one good goal." Luffy said happily as the six of them just looked at the sky in happiness.

Usopp laughed before he said, "Everything that happened here today helped me. I've just come to a very difficult decision."

* * *

After a couple days of resting, Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, Nami, and Pigero were sitting at a table in the restaurant Usopp showed Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, and Nami when they first got to the village as they just finished a good meal while Pigero was writing in his black journal what he and the others have been through so far.

"Now that we've eaten, we should probably get going." Zoro said comfortably.

"Yeah, you're right." Luffy said while chewing on a fish bone.

"Of course, we still need to head over to the Grand Line." Tarble agreed, catching Pigero's attention as he stopped writing for a minute.

"What a coincidence, I'm on my way to the Grand Line myself." Pigero said happily just before the restaurant door opened and the five of them saw Kaya enter the restaurant.

Kaya saw the five of them and said in a sweet voice, "Here you are."

"Hello there Miss." Luffy greeted as Kaya walked over to their table.

"Is it really alright for you to be up and out of bed already?" Nami asked sounding concerned.

"Yes, I think now I can truly start recovering. You see, my sickness this last year was caused by the mental shock of losing both my parents, and Usopp's friendship helped me start getting better. I can't stay in bed forever you know." Kaya answered happily.

"That's great, we're glad to hear that." Tarble said with a kind smile on his face.

"You've all done so much for me and I can't thank you enough." Kaya beamed at them.

"No need to thank us, we're just happy to help out." Pigero said kindly.

"Still, I've prepared a present for you from the bottom of my heart to show you how grateful I am for everything you've done here. I'd be honored if you accept it." Kaya said, confusing Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, Nami, and Pigero.

* * *

Later, Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, Nami, and Pigero followed Kaya to the same shore where they've fought the Black Cat Pirates where they met up with Merry as he and Kaya showed them their present.

It was a small caravel with a sheep figurehead as they gasped happily while Nami gasped, "A real caravel!"

"Are you actually giving this to us?" Luffy asked Kaya and Merry.

"As a token of my appreciation." Kaya answered happily.

"It's a slightly older model, but I personally designed it and she sails like a dream." Merry said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"She's a beauty of a ship." Pigero commented as Merry looked like he remembered something as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Yes, she's a fine ship and her name is... The Going Merry." Merry said before he looked like he remembered something as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, looked at Tarble and continued with, "And this is a little something I thought you should have for saving the East Blue from that awful Mercenary Tao." then he gave Tarble the paper as the Saiyan took it but in confusion.

Then suddenly, everyone heard someone screaming as they turned to see Usopp rolling down the hill with what looked like a backpack that was the size of a large boulder strapped to his back as Kaya cried out in concern, "Oh no, it's Usopp!"

"Hey, what's he doing? Looks fun." Luffy said as Usopp rolled closer and closer to them.

"Shouldn't we stop him before he crashes into your boat?" Pigero asked while sweat dropping.

"I'm on it." Tarble said while stepping forward before he stopped Usopp in his tracks by slamming his tail into Usopp's face.

"Ow, hey thanks Tarble." Usopp muttered sarcastically.

"No prob." Tarble said happily as Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, and Nami got ready to put their supplies on their new ship.

Meanwhile, Usopp and Kaya were looking at the sea while talking to each other as Kaya asked, "So you're really going out there?"

"Yeah, I've had the urge to go for so long, but now I'm finally ready to do so. So for now, this is goodbye." Usopp said as he and Kaya smiled at each other.

"Then, I won't try to stop you." Kaya said softly.

"When I come back someday, I'll tell you stories about my adventures out at sea, how does that sound?" Usopp asked/promised.

"I'll look forward to it." Kaya said before she gave Usopp a gentle kiss on the cheek, taking him by surprise as he blushed a little before he got his bags ready and turned towards the Going Merry along with Pigero who had his own bags ready.

"You guys, take care! I hope we meet again sometime!" Usopp yelled to the four on the Going Merry.

"Yeah, same here, we should team up again when we get the chance! So long, and good luck on your journey!" Pigero yelled as well.

"How come?" Luffy asked in confusion as Usopp and Pigero turned to him in confusion.

"Huh? Well because... are you anti-social or something? I'm taking off for life on the high seas and I hope we'll eventually meet again, that's all!" Usopp said in disbelief.

"Yeah, I'm setting off too, to accomplish my Father's goal, and I'm wishing you and your crew good luck on your own voyage!" Pigero replied even though he was confused.

"What are you two talking about? Get on already." Zoro said in annoyance while pointing down at their new ship while Usopp and Pigero blinked in confusion.

"We're friends right? So get on." Luffy explained sounding uninterested.

"Yeah, come on, there's plenty of room for two more on this ship." Tarble added while motioning for Usopp and Pigero to come along as they both looked happy.

"Okay, I'll come along." Pigero said as Tarble flew over and helped him on the ship.

"Yes! I'm really a Pirate Captain now!" Usopp cried out happily while climbing aboard himself.

"Don't be stupid Usopp, I'm the Captain!" Luffy yelled angrily while the others laughed at the two of them as Kaya and Merry waved goodbye to them as the six of them sailed away in the Going Merry.

"Cheers! To a new ship and two new crew mates!" Luffy declared as the six of them toasted while laughing and enjoying themselves.

* * *

The Going Merry has been sailing for quite a while with Usopp looking ahead for some reason.

"Pirates beware, for I am the Great Captain Usopp! Tremble before my might, as well as the power of my crew of 80 million men who will stomp you all into the dust!" Usopp declared as he was just playing around with a wooden sword, but then he jumped down to the deck to see that the other five members of the crew weren't even paying attention: Zoro was taking a nap in a sunny spot, Nami was sitting on a barrel and looking over maps to make sure they were going the right way, Pigero was sitting next to Nami while writing in his black journal, Tarble was doing push-ups with one hand behind his back while Luffy was sitting next to him painting something.

"Jeez, I really expected you guys to be a little more lively than this." Usopp told the others sounding a little down.

Tarble stopped doing push-ups as he turned the long nosed teen and said, "Sorry about that Usopp."

"I'm finished!" Luffy exclaimed proudly as everyone else stopped what they were doing and turned to Luffy who was holding up a bad painting of a smiling skull wearing a straw hat similar to his with crossbones in the back while the other five looked at it with horrified expressions.

"Uh, Luffy, is that really gonna be our mark?" Pigero asked hesitantly.

"What do you think? Nice, huh?" Luffy asked back.

"Our mark should be scary, it should strike fear into our enemy's hearts." Zoro said thoughtfully while glancing at the mark Luffy drew.

"If our enemies were terrified infants, then this would be perfect." Nami said sarcastically while Tarble just sweat dropped at the mark.

Then suddenly, Usopp chuckled while wagging a finger at them like they were naughty children before he said, "You guys really should've told me about this. Maybe you didn't know this about me, but I am an artist."

"Hold on, does that mean you can draw?" Tarble asked in awe.

"But of course my good tailed friend, when it comes to painting I'm in a league of my own! I've been drawing graffiti for fifty years straight!" Usopp bragged.

"Whoa, fifty years!?" Luffy yelled in shock.

"That would mean he's an old man now!" Zoro exclaimed sarcastically as Usopp started to sweat nervously.

"Which would give him five or six Grandkids." Nami offered with a smirk.

"Even though I don't see them." Pigero added with his arms crossed.

"That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Hey!" Usopp exclaimed while holding his hands up angrily.

"You've gotta admit Usopp, you WERE setting yourself up. But you can make a good mark for us, right?" Tarble said while sweat dropping.

"Of course I can, just watch!" Usopp declared before he began to paint the mark for the pirate crew.

"Behold, a priceless work of pirate art!" Usopp exclaimed once he was done as he held out the Jolly Roger he painted, but everyone else saw that it was a skull with a long nose and Usopp's bandana, and one of the crossbones behind it was replaced by a painting of his slingshot.

"Looks an awful lot like you on that flag!" Luffy scowled as he and Zoro gave him a hard punch to the head as they both yelled, "JERK!"

"Come on Usopp, Luffy's the Captain of this crew, so it's gotta show off something of his." Tarble said while slowly shaking his head as Usopp rubbed the sore spot on his head while pouting a little before he went back to painting the Jolly Roger for their crew.

Later, Usopp was holding up a Jolly Roger that looks like Luffy's design but much better than before as Usopp said proudly, "So how do you guys like this one?"

"Wow, that's actually pretty good, Usopp." Nami said deeply impressed.

"Very nice form indeed." Tarble agreed while nodding his head.

"Yeah, keep it, that's the one!" Luffy said happily.

"So, we finally settled on it, this is gonna be our mark?" Zoro asked the others.

"Looks like it to me." Pigero said with a small smile.

"Sure is." Luffy answered, then he pointed up at the sails and asked, "Hey Usopp, can you draw one on the sail too?"

And soon the sail was painted with the same Jolly Roger Usopp painted for the crew, which was a smiling skull with Luffy's straw hat on his head with crossbones behind it while Usopp was laying on the floor, looking exhausted and he was also covered in paint.

"Okay, it's all done!" Luffy cheered with his eyes shining bright as he looked at the mark on the sail.

"It's official, we're a real pirate crew now." Tarble said while standing next to Luffy while looking at the mark as well.

"Now the Going Merry has everything she could possibly need." Luffy said happily while Tarble smiled and nodded in agreement, but then he looked like he remembered something.

"Hey guys, there's something I haven't told you about myself just yet." Tarble said sounding guilty as everyone turned to him as he began to explain.

* * *

Tarble told the crew about the Saiyans and they were shocked with what they heard, except for Luffy who already knew at the time, along with Tarble's banishment from Planet Vegeta, but everyone else in the crew were shocked at what Tarble told them next.

"WHAT!? YOU NEVER TOLD US THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY THE PRINCE OF ALL SAIYANS!?" Nami yelled angrily.

"Well, at first it felt like a curse to me to even call myself that. But while I was fighting Tao, I remembered Usopp refusing to be ashamed of his heritage, so I decided that I should accept the fact that I AM a Saiyan Prince... Even though I've been running away from that title for so long." Tarble explained sheepishly.

"Well, I don't care if you're a Saiyan Prince or not, you're still a member of this pirate crew and that's all that matters to me." Luffy said with a silly grin on his face, making Tarble smile at his Captain.

"Thanks Luffy, that means a lot." tarble said gratefully with a hand on his armor, that's when they heard something crumbling inside.

"Oh man, Tarble, was that from the hole Tao made in your armor?" Usopp asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No." Tarble said as he pulled something out of his armor, he looked at it and said, "Merry gave this to me before we left. It looks like a flyer for some Martial Arts Tournament on Emerald Island."

"Emerald Island?" Zoro asked in confusion.

"Martial Arts Tournament?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"Here, let me see." Pigero said as Tarble gave him the flyer as Pigero looked it over, then he said, "Wait a minute, I've heard about this."

"What's it about?" Luffy asked as Pigero turned to the crew.

"It's a competition where fighters from all over the world gather to compete and test their strengths against one another. Some are fighters who study in the art of Martial Arts like Tarble, some are not even human beings but still compete anyway, and I've even heard that some fighters with Devil Fruit powers also compete in the tournament. They gather at this tournament to prove who's the best fighter in the high seas." Pigero explained as Tarble and Luffy got excited for a tournament.

"Awesome, this could be a perfect chance for me to get closer to becoming the strongest Saiyan ever!" Tarble exclaimed happily with his tail waving pretty fast behind him.

"I'd like to see this tournament for myself, it could be fun!" Luffy exclaimed happily with his fists in the air.

"Whoa whoa whoa, do you guys really think we have enough time to compete in a Martial Arts Tournament?" Usopp asked.

"He's got a point, this Emerald Island could be off course from our destination, which is the Grand Line, remember?" Zoro agreed while Nami was looking at the maps again.

"Actually, Emerald Island is on the path to the Grand Line." Nami said while looking at them.

"There's also a big prize for the winner of the tournament." Pigero said while looking at the flyer again.

"Ooh, is it a large supply of meat!? Please say it's meat!" Luffy yelled happily while drooling a bit causing the others to sweat drop at their Captain.

"Can't you think of anything other than meat?" Tarble asked in annoyance.

"I bet the prize is a whole lot of booze!" Zoro said with his usual grin on his face.

"THAT'S NOT EVEN BETTER!" Usopp yelled at the swordsman.

"No, guys, it says here that the first place winner of the tournament gets the title of champion as well as the grand prize of 500,000 Berries." Pigero explained making Nami really happy while her eyes were replaced with Berri signs.

"I say we let Luffy and Tarble enter that tournament!" Nami yelled while pointing ahead while Zoro, Usopp, and Pigero sweat dropped at the navigator.

"I guess if Luffy and Tarble are entering, I should enter myself." Zoro smirked with one his swords out.

"Hold on Zoro, it's a Martial Arts Tournament, you can't use weapons like your swords against your opponents. If you do, you'll be kicked out of the tournament right away." Pigero explained.

"Oh great. Oh well, I guess it's best to leave this to Luffy and Tarble." Zoro said while putting his sword away.

"Hey you should enter the tournament yourself Pigero, I'm sure you can knock them down easily with your Devil Fruit powers." Usopp said trying to get Pigero pumped up with a playful punch on the shoulder.

"I can't, my Brek-Brek Fruit powers require me to use the rocks around the area, that's considered using an outside tool, and using outside tools is against the rules and if I use my powers in the tournament, I'll be disqualified." Pigero explained a little sad about not entering.

"But I thought you said that fighters with Devil Fruit powers can compete in the tournament?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"Yeah, but only those who don't require things like rocks to help out." Pigero answered.

"Oh well, at least we can enter, right Tarble?" Luffy happily asked the Saiyan next to him.

"That's right, and this will probably give our crew a better chance at getting the prize." Tarble answered.

"So... we're agreed?" Usopp hesitated to asked.

"YES!" Nami answered right away still with Berri signs for eyes.

"I think we're all set." Pigero said while sweat dropping at Nami.

"Captain? It's your call." Zoro told Luffy who ran ahead and landed on the sheep figurehead.

"Set course for Emerald Island! Me and Tarble are gonna enter the Martial Arts Tournament!" Luffy declared while pointing ahead.

"YEAH!" Tarble, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero agreed as they set sail for Emerald Island to compete in the tournament.

* * *

What a day this has been, not only did Luffy's crew got a new ship called the Going Merry, along with Usopp and Pigero as two new crew members, making them an official pirate crew, but now they sail off so Luffy and Tarble can compete in a Martial Arts Tournament being held in a place called Emerald Island. Who will they face off in the tournament? Will they have quite a challenge? Will they be able to survive Nami's wrath if neither one of them wins the prize money? Find out next time on The X-Pirates!


	12. The East Blue Martial Arts Tournament

Previously on The X-Pirates, Luffy and his crew were able to defeat Captain Kuro and the Black Cat Pirates and chased them away from the island while Tarble was able to defeat Mercenary Tao once and for all. They were surprised when Kaya and Merry gave them a nice ship called The Going Merry, not only that, but they also gained two new crew members in Usopp and Pigero, and like that, the six of them sailed away, continuing their quest to the Grand Line. Along the way, Tarble remembered the flyer Merry gave him for beating Tao, Pigero looked at it and saw that it was a flyer for a Martial Arts Tournament being held on Emerald Island. Excited about this tournament, Luffy and Tarble agreed to set sail for Emerald Island so they can compete in the tournament. Who will they face in the tournament? Find out today!

The East Blue Martial Arts Tournament

The Going Merry was currently on her way to Emerald Island so Luffy and Tarble can enter the Martial Arts Tournament being held there while Luffy was sitting on the sheep figurehead with a grin on his face while Tarble was walking around the ship on his hands as a form of training while Nami, Usopp, and Pigero watched the Saiyan Prince and Zoro was sleeping again.

"Man Tarble, you and Luffy must be really excited to compete in this tournament." Usopp mentioned as Tarble turned to him, still on his hands.

"How can we not be excited Usopp? There's no doubt that many great fighters will be at this tournament, and by entering, I'll get closer to my goal." Tarble replied happily.

"Not to mention the 500,000 berries given to the winner." Nami sighed happily, then she pointed at Tarble, then at Luffy as she yelled, "So you two better not lose, got it!?"

"Don't worry, we won't." Luffy replied not taking his eyes off the sea in front of him and his ship, then he spotted an island on the horizon as he happily yelled, "ISLAND!" that was enough to wake Zoro up.

Nami saw it as she looked at her map, then she nodded and said, "Yep, that's Emerald Island, we made it."

"Alright, we're getting close to the tournament! I can't wait!" Tarble happily said now standing on his feet again.

"Neither can I Tarble!" Luffy agreed as he jumped down from his seat and he and Tarble wrapped their arms around each others shoulders and began to dance happily while chanting, "Tournament! Tournament! Tournament!" while Usopp and Pigero laughed at them, Zoro closed his eyes and chuckled a bit, and Nami couldn't help but giggle at the Saiyan Prince and the Rubber Pirate.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the tournament sign-up stand were six other people, all of them entering the tournament.

One was a man with black spiky hair that was out in different directions, he was wearing a blue gi, black pants, blue armbands, black and blue shoes, there was also a sword behind his back, and he had a Saiyan tail waving behind him. (A/N: This is the Saiyan OC that belongs to my good buddy, Greymon Leader Batx flashpoint. Greymon, I really hope I'm getting this right for you.)

Another man had silver hair that was spiky and grew to the top of his back, he was in a green and orange fighting outfit with blue armbands and blue shoes. (A/N: Say hello to my Earthling OC from Xenoverse.)

Two others were in the same orange gi with one tall guy with scars on his face and the same hair as the silver haired man, only black while the short guy was bald, noseless, and had six dots on his forehead.

The last two with them were wearing green fighting gi's with one tall bald guy who has a scar on his chest and a third eye on his forehead while the short guy was floating in midair with a pale face and red cheeks.

"Okay, can I get your names please?" the worker asked the six men kindly.

The man with the tail stepped forward and replied with a grin, "Kakarot, along with my friends, Jorgen, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu." (A/N: If you hadn't guessed, Greymon's Xenoverse Saiyan is basically Goku if he still had some of his memories of his past before he came to Earth.)

"Okay, the six of you are all signed up." the worker told the six warriors.

"Sweet, time to show the other fighters how we do it in the East Blue!" the silver haired man, Jorgen yelled with determination.

"I just hope they aren't as strong as Kakarot, he just seems to be too much." Krillin said while Kakarot was grinning at his short friend.

"I seriously doubt there's anyone as strong as Kakarot in the East Blue." Yamcha chuckled a little.

"It might be a different story in the Grand Line." Chiaotzu mentioned as the other five turned to him.

"But I've heard that place was where the King of the Pirates, Gold Roger left the ultimate treasure, the One Piece." Krillin pointed out.

"Not to mention that many pirates have tried to sail those waters, only to wind up either dead or lost. That's why the Grand Line is also known as the Pirate Graveyard." Tien explained seriously with his arms crossed.

"I know, I'm still debating whether or not to go there myself so that I can get stronger." Kakarot said with the grin still on his face.

"I still say you're crazy for even thinking about going." Yamcha said while sweat dropping.

"Hey look." Chiaotzu said while pointing behind Kakarot as the six of them turned to see Luffy and his pirate crew walking over to sign up for the tournament with Luffy and Tarble still had an arm wrapped around their shoulders and grinning happily.

Nami walked up to the worker and asked, "Excuse me, is this where we sign up for the tournament?"

"Why yes, I just need your name." the worker replied.

"I'm not entering the tournament, but they are." Nami said with a sly smirk while pointing at Luffy and Tarble as she continued with, "their names are Luffy and Tarble."

The name, Tarble, caught Kakarot off guard as he looked at Tarble who still looked excited as he thought, "Tarble? Well, judging by the armor and a tail that's just like mine, looks like he's a Saiyan like me. But, what's he even doing here?"

"Okay, your two friends are all signed up." the worker told Nami who nodded and walked over to the crew.

"Well, looks like they're in." Zoro said as Tarble sensed someone strong as he turned to Kakarot and the two of them were now staring at each other.

"YES! Come on guys, let's go!" Luffy yelled happily as he grabbed Tarble's arm and dragged him along with him while Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero followed them, leaving Kakarot and his friends behind.

"Uh, anyone have any idea who those guys were?" Krillin asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not sure about five of them, but I'm pretty sure that was Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro with them." Tien answered.

"I'm surprised he didn't enter the tournament with those other two." Jorgen mentioned.

"The guy in the straw hat doesn't look strong though, I mean, look at him." Yamcha said talking about Luffy.

"It could be possible that he's a Devil Fruit user." Chiaotzu pointed out.

"Still, I can't believe Roronoa Zoro even came to the tournament, guess he's trying to find some more pirates to practice his Three-Sword Style on." Krillin shrugged.

"Yeah, but I'll bet even he won't be a match for Kakarot when he uses my old sword against him and his Three-Sword Style, what do you say Kakarot?" Yamcha asked his Saiyan friend with a playful nudge to the shoulder, but he and the other five were confused when Kakarot stayed silent.

"Uh, Kakarot, you okay buddy?" Krillin asked while getting in front of Kakarot.

"Another Saiyan on this planet, could he be here to rid the Earth of all life? No, it couldn't be, he doesn't even look like that kind of Saiyan." Kakarot thought as he walked on ahead while Jorgen, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu looked at each other in confusion before they followed their Saiyan friend.

* * *

Back with the crew, Luffy and Tarble were now with the other participants of the tournament while the other four were somewhere else waiting for the actual tournament, Luffy was grinning happily while Tarble couldn't stop thinking about Kakarot.

"That guy, he had a tail like me, so that would mean that he's a Saiyan as well. He might be in the tournament as well, but I wonder, what's his real purpose for being on this planet?" Tarble thought with his gloved hand on his chin in a thinking pose.

Then someone came up in front of a mic and said in the mic, "Attention, can I have everyone's attention please?" all of the fighters turned to him as he continued with, "First of all, I'd like to welcome you all to Emerald Island to partake in the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament! As you know, over two hundred fighters stand here before me, but only eight of you can proceed to the main tournament. Those eight fighters will be determined with the Elimination Rounds!"

Luffy then tapped Tarble on the shoulder and whispered, "Hey Tarble, do you know if they have any meat around here? I'm hungry."

Tarble just shushed Luffy and whispered back, "Luffy, pay attention, this is important."

"The matches in the Elimination Rounds will be about a minute long, and will be over if an opponent is knocked out of bounds, stays down for about ten seconds, or gives up, and this will continue until the number of fighters are down to eight. Also, no weapons like swords or knives are allowed, neither is killing your opponent, and all Devil Fruit users in here can't bring special items to help them out, such actions will result in immediate disqualification, claws may be allowed, but only if they're natural! Now, at this time, I'd like all the fighters to line up into a single-file line to draw your numbers, this will determine which order you'll fight in, and please, no trading!" the worker explained before he got off the stage and the fighters lined up to pick their numbers with Kakarot and his five friends behind Luffy and Tarble.

* * *

Soon, all of the fighters drew their numbers and Luffy and Tarble were checking to see when and where they'll be fighting.

"Let's see, it looks like I'm in Block 1." Tarble said while looking at his number on the board.

"Whoa, I'm in Block 1 too. Does that mean we'll get to fight each other?" Luffy asked.

"I hope not, I was hoping to fight you in the main tournament." Tarble said while panicking a little, but then they heard a friendly laugh as they turned to see Kakarot and his friends standing next to Luffy and Tarble.

"Relax, that won't happen." Kakarot happily told the two pirates who tilted their heads in confusion.

"You see, each block is divided into two brackets, and since you two drew a 1 and a 16, that means you're both in different halves of Block 1." Tien explained making it clear for Tarble.

"I see, so that explains why there are only four blocks." Tarble said while looking up at the board again.

"Hey, what block are you guys in?" Luffy asked the group of six fighters.

"I'm in the second half of Block 4." Kakarot answered with a grin.

"I'm in the first half of Block 3." Krillin answered while holding up three fingers.

"I'm fighting in the second half of Block 2." Yamcha said with a thumbs-up.

"You'll find me in the first half of Block 2." Jorgen said with his arms crossed.

"I'll be fighting in the first half of Block 4." Tien answered with his arms crossed as well.

"I'm in the second half of Block 3." Chiaotzu said while giving a little peace sign.

"Looks like none of us are fighting each other until the main tournament." Krillin said with a grin.

"Perfect, I didn't want to face you guys until we reach the main tournament, that way there's no time limit and the arena will be bigger." Jorgen added as Tarble took a careful look at Kakarot.

"Hey wait a minute, we saw you guys when we were signing up for the tournament." Tarble told the six fighters.

"Oh really? I didn't even noticed them." Luffy told his friend.

"That's us, nice to have some new faces coming here to the tournament." Jorgen said with a grin.

"These guys look tough, do you think they'll join our pirate crew if I ask them?" Luffy asked Tarble who looked nervous as he clamped a hand over Luffy's mouth.

"Uh, Luffy I wouldn't say that word in front of these people." Tarble whispered back, but Kakarot and his friends now knew who Luffy and Tarble really are.

"Somehow I had a feeling you two were pirates." Tien said with his arms crossed.

"Just goes to show they'll let anyone in this tournament." Yamcha agreed with his three-eyed friend.

"I don't know guys, they don't look like the kind of pirates we usually see around the East Blue." Kakarot mentioned looking specifically at Tarble.

"That's right, we're just here to have a little fun in the tournament... And also to try and win the prize money for our crew." Tarble said kindly while setting Luffy's mouth free.

"Mostly Nami." Luffy added.

"Sorry about that, we didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Krillin." Krillin introduced while shaking hands with Luffy.

"I'm Yamcha." Yamcha introduced shaking hands with Tarble.

"My name's Tien Shinhan." Tien introduced.

"I'm Chiaotzu." Chiaotzu said with a hand on his chest.

"Name's Jorgen, friend." Jorgen happily said while bumping fists with Luffy.

"And I'm Kakarot." Kakarot introduced as he and Tarble looked at each other.

"Kakarot? Well, it sounds like a Saiyan name." Tarble thought, then he said to the six fighters, "Nice to meet you guys, I'm Tarble."

"And I'm Monkey D. Luffy." Luffy introduced happily with a hand on his hat before they heard another voice around them.

"The first match of Block 1 first half is about to begin! Will #1 and #2 come up to the ring please?" the announcer called out.

"That's my number, I'd better get ready." Tarble said before he ran off to Block 1's ring.

"Oh boy, Tarble's match is about to start, I've gotta see this." Luffy said before he followed Tarble.

"I'd like to see what Tarble's capable of myself, I'm going to watch his fight." Kakarot said before he began to walk over to Block 1.

"Hey, wait up Kakarot!" Krillin yelled before he, Jorgen, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu followed after their Saiyan friend.

* * *

When they got to Block 1, they saw Tarble in the ring facing against his current opponent with an afro.

"This guy looks pretty serious, who is he?" Luffy asked while looking at Tarble's opponent.

Jorgen noticed that Yamcha looked like he was deep in thought as he asked, "Something on your mind Yamcha?"

"I know I've heard of this fighter before, but where?" Yamcha asked silently.

"Looks like an unusual opponent to me, but it makes no difference to me." Tarble's opponent said as he and Tarble got into fighting position.

The fighting position of Tarble's opponent rang a bell to Yamcha as he said in realization, "Now I remember!"

"What do you mean?" Krillin asked in confusion.

"The guy Tarble's fighting, that's King Chapa, he's competed in tournaments like this before and won all of them! I've heard that he won the last tournament without being touched by any of his opponents! This Tarble guy doesn't even know what's he's getting into!" Yamcha explained seriously.

"Yeah, but neither does King Chapa." Kakarot said while his friends looked at him as he grinned at his friends and said, "You guys shouldn't worry about Tarble, I have a feeling he'll be fine. After all, he's kinda like me." that's when Kakarot lifted his tail up for his friends and Luffy to see.

"You might have a point there Kakarot, I had a feeling that you and this Tarble guy have some sort of connection between each other when I saw that guy's tail." Jorgen mentioned.

"You guys should see Tarble in action, he's a strong guy, I know he can win!" Luffy said while grinning.

"Fighters, you may begin!" the referee declared.

"I shall strike first!" King Chapa said as he charged towards Tarble who just vanished from the human eye, shocking Krillin, Yamcha, Jorgen, Tien, and Chiaotzu while Luffy and Kakarot just grinned happily while Luffy's eyes also sparkled in awe.

"Hey, where are you hiding coward!?" King Chapa yelled while looking around to find Tarble, who was behind King Chapa as he moved around without making a sound every time King Chapa moves his head, then Tarble knocked King Chapa out with a swift chop to the neck while everyone watching was left speechless.

"And we have a winner by a knockout!" the referee declared while raising Tarble's hand in the air as Tarble smiled and waved to those who cheered.

"Yeah, Tarble, way to go!" Luffy yelled happily while running over to the Saiyan Prince as the two of them jumped up and down while Kakarot and his friends watched the two pirates jump up and down.

"Did you guys just see that?" Chiaotzu asked the other five.

"Yeah, Tarble just knocked King Chapa out with one strike!" Krillin said in shock.

"Jorgen wants everyone to know he's speechless right now." Jorgen said while sweating a little nervously.

Kakarot just crossed his arms and grinned while looking at Tarble as he thought, "I have a feeling this is gonna be one interesting tournament."

* * *

Luffy and his crew made it to Emerald Island and the Elimination Rounds to the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament kicked off rather nicely. See who will advance to the main tournament and who will fight against who next time on The X-Pirates!


	13. Down to Eight: Luffy VS Yamcha

Last time on The X-Pirates, Luffy and his crew made it to Emerald Island and he and Tarble signed up to enter the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament. On the island, they met a group of six fighters, Kakarot, Krillin, Yamcha, Jorgen, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu. The Elimination Rounds kicked off with Tarble facing off against King Chapa, and the Saiyan Prince knocked him out with one strike while Luffy, Kakarot, Krillin, Yamcha, Jorgen, Tien, and Chiaotzu easily defeated their opponents with no problem. Now, it's down to eight fighters... and the main tournament is about to begin!

Down to Eight: Luffy VS. Yamcha

Luffy, Tarble, Kakarot, Krillin, Jorgen, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu were now standing in front of an announcer with blond hair and sunglasses after the elimination rounds ended.

"Welcome! First of all, let me congratulate the eight of you for making it this far in the tournament. Here's how this works, two fighters are chosen randomly to fight each other in the quarterfinals based on what number you've drawn from this box. The match is over when you knock your opponent out of bounds, gets knocked out for ten seconds, or if you surrender. However, poking in the eyes or hitting your opponent in the private parts is not allowed." the announcer explained to the eight fighters, then he looked at all eight of them just after Tarble materialized a new glove and a new set of armor for himself as the announcer then said, "Now then, when I call your name, come on up to draw a number. First up is Tarble."

"Looks like I'm up first." Tarble said as he walked up to draw a number from the box.

Tien turned to Chiaotzu and said through mind link, "Chiaotzu, do me a favor and put me in the same match as Tarble, I'd like to see how he fights an opponent like me."

"Sure thing Tien." Chiaotzu replied as he secretly used his powers to shuffle the numbers in the box as Tarble grabbed a number, which was a three.

"Okay, that's number three, and that puts you in the second match." the announcer said as he wrote Tarble's name on the number three slot, then he turned to the other fighters and called out, "Next up is Yamcha!"

Yamcha walked up to pick a number as Chiaotzu looked at him, then at Luffy, then he secretly used his powers to give Yamcha a two as the announcer said, "Number two, that puts you in the first match."

"Perfect, can't wait to see who I'll face off against first!" Yamcha said with a smirk of determination.

"Is there anyone here named Kakarot?" the announcer called as Kakarot grinned and nodded as he walked over to pick a number, this time without Chiaotzu's help as he drew an eight as the announcer wrote the name on the number eight slot and said, "Okay, that means you're in the last match of the quarterfinals."

"Perfect, I didn't want to face someone like Tarble until the finals." Kakarot thought as he looked at Tarble who was now in the middle of a friendly game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with Luffy.

"Next up is Monkey D. Luffy!" the announcer called, cutting Luffy and Tarble's little game short.

"Yes, I'm next!" Luffy yelled happily as he ran over to pick a number while Chiaotzu used his powers to give Luffy number one as Luffy held the number up high and happily exclaimed, "Yes, I got number one!"

"Indeed, and that puts you in the first match with Yamcha." the announcer said while writing down Luffy's name.

"Just hope you're ready for one hell of a fight, Straw Hat." Yamcha smirked at his opponent with his arms crossed.

"Next up is Jorgen!" the announcer called as Jorgen walked over to pick a number, he got a five as the announcer said, "With number five, you're in the third match." then the announcer called for the next fighter, "Next up, Tien Shinhan!"

Tien turned to Chiaotzu and quietly said, "You know what to do." Chiaotzu nodded as Tien then walked over to pick a four, thanks to Chiaotzu secretly using his powers again.

"Number four, that puts you in the second match with Tarble." the announcer said as Tien and Tarble turned to face each other.

"Hope you're ready to fight when the time comes." Tien told his opponent.

"Count on it." Tarble replied while giving Tien a smirk and a thumbs-up.

"Chiaotzu, you're up!" the announcer called as Chiaotzu floated over to pick a number, it was six as the announcer, "And that means you'll be fighting Jorgen in the third match."

"Krillin, since everyone else picked a number, that leaves you with number seven, and that puts you in the final match with Kakarot." the announcer said while Krillin paled up a little.

"Me against K-K-K-Kakarot!? Oh boy, why me!?" Krillin groaned as he drooped his head down in sadness.

"Cheer up Krillin, this'll be fun!" Kakarot happily said while patting Krillin on the back.

"Okay, now that everyone has picked a number, here's how the quarterfinals will play out. The first match will have Luffy VS. Yamcha. The second match will feature Tarble VS. Tien. Then it'll be Jorgen VS. Chiaotzu in the third match. And finally, Krillin VS. Kakarot in the forth match! Any questions?" the announcer asked while looking at the fighters.

"Yeah, when do we get to eat?" Kakarot asked with his hand raised.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to eat before a match? You might get cramps that way." the announcer warned.

"I will eat!" Kakarot and Tarble said together before they looked at each other in confusion.

"Uh, of course, right this way." the announcer said while leading Tarble and Kakarot somewhere to get some food.

* * *

Later, outside, Nami, Zoro, Usopp, and Pigero got a great spot in the front row to watch the tournament as they looked at the battlefield waiting for the tournament to begin.

"Wow, we got a great spot to see the action!" Usopp commented happily.

"Yeah, this is awesome!" Pigero agreed.

"Ugh! How long are they gonna make us wait for this thing to begin!?" Zoro asked impatiently with his arms crossed.

"Calm down, will ya? Look, someone's coming up to the middle of the ring." Nami said as the announcer from before walked up to the middle of the ring with a microphone in his hand.

"Ladies and gentlemen, sorry for the wait, but it's time to start the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament! Many fighters came all the way here for a chance to compete for the championship title, and the grand prize of 500,000 berries, and we've narrowed the list down to eight unbelievable fighters! In the first round we have Monkey D. Luffy VS. Yamcha in the first match, in the second match is Tarble VS. Tien Shinhan, the third match will have Jorgen going up against Chiaotzu, and finally there's Krillin VS. Kakarot!" the announcer declared while the members in the audience cheered for the fighters while Usopp and Pigero were cheering for Luffy and Tarble while Zoro just smirked and Nami gave a big grin with berri signs in place of her eyes.

"And now it's time to start the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament! Let's hear it for our first two fighters, Luffy and Yamcha!" the announcer declared as Luffy happily running on to the battlefield, looking very excited to get started as Yamcha entered the ring next as the two of them faced each other.

"Hey Luffy's up first!" Usopp said happily.

"So, who's the guy facing up against him?" Pigero asked in confusion.

"I think I know that face." Nami, Usopp, and Pigero turned to Zoro as he continued with, "If I remember correctly, that must be Yamcha. He used to be known as the Desert Bandit when I first met him, we met face to face in a sword fight, and I hate to admit it, but he was pretty good with a sword." Zoro explained seriously, but then he smirked as he finished with, "But it wasn't enough to beat me."

Usopp shook a little as he gulped, "A Desert Bandit, here in the tournament?"

In the ring, Luffy and Yamcha were still facing each other as they got into fighting position as Yamcha said, "I've been waiting for this Straw Hat, after seeing your Devil Fruit powers in the elimination round, I've wanted to test your powers with my own!"

"You were pretty good in the elimination rounds yourself, I'm getting excited about this battle." Luffy said happily.

"Are both fighters ready?" the announcer asked as Luffy and Yamcha nodded their heads just as Kakarot, Krillin, Jorgen, Tien, and Chiaotzu got up the wall to root for Yamcha while Tarble floated up on the other side to root for Luffy as the announcer then declared, "Then let the match begin!"

That's when Luffy and Yamcha charged towards each other as they each tried to go for a punch that they blocked, then Yamcha tried again, only for Luffy to dodge by jumping away as he said, "Missed me!"

Then Yamcha tried to attack Luffy, but he kept on dodging the attacks, but then Yamcha got him in the gut with his elbow as Luffy grunted while Yamcha smirked, "How's that?"

"Try this!" Luffy grunted before he stretched his arm out, taking some of the audience members by surprise.

"Uh, what are you going to do?" Yamcha asked in confusion.

"Uh, Luffy?" Usopp asked while blinking in confusion.

"Looks like Luffy's gonna use one of his special attacks, the Gum-Gum Pistol." Tarble said while grinning while the other five fighters turned to him in confusion.

"**Gum-Gum Pistol!**" Luffy then brought his fist back fast at Yamcha who just barely dodged the attack.

"Nice try Straw Hat, but not good enough!" Yamcha yelled as he punched Luffy in the chin as Luffy's neck stretched up high.

"Then how about this? **GUM-GUM...**" Luffy got ready for another attack.

"What the...!?" Pigero asked in shock.

"It's the same move he used to defeat Kuro!" Nami said, knowing it from watching the battle on Usopp's home island.

"**BELL!**" Luffy then slammed his head down on Yamcha, hitting him on the head hard as Luffy then stretch his leg back behind him as he got ready to hit Yamcha again.

"Now! **Gum-Gum Whip!**" then Luffy gave Yamcha a good kick with his Gum-Gum Whip sending Yamcha up in the air while grunting.

"Way to go Luffy!" Usopp and Pigero cheered with their fists in the air.

"Nice one!" Nami cheered before she suddenly blinked and then blushed a bit and looked away.

"It's not over yet, take a look." Zoro said as everyone else saw that Yamcha was still in the air, flying.

"You've gotta be kidding me! There are fighters on this planet that know how to fly as well!?" Tarble thought in shock as Yamcha flew back into the ring.

"That was awesome! I thought guys like Tarble only knew how to fly!" Luffy yelled happily with sparkles in his eyes.

"THIS IS NO TIME TO BE IMPRESSED LUFFY!" Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero yelled at the same time.

"You didn't really think that you and your friend Tarble were the ones with special powers, did ya?" Yamcha asked with a smirk.

"Nope, my friend Pigero has special powers after he ate a Devil Fruit called the Brek-Brek Fruit." Luffy answered while tilting his head.

"Well guess again Straw Hat, I'll show you one of my special techniques." Yamcha said getting into some sort of position as he said, "Watch this!" then he charged towards Luffy like some kind of wolf as he yelled, "**Wolf Fang Fist!**" then he kicked Luffy in the face, then went for a barrage of punches that were like a wolf rapidly attacking his prey, then finished off with a good blow to Luffy's gut, sending him to the other side of the ring.

"LUFFY!" Tarble, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero yelled in concern seeing Luffy get hit pretty good with Yamcha's Wolf Fang Fist.

Luffy got back up on his feet with some scratches on his body as he said, "Whoa, nice move!"

"Oh you like that huh? Well then, how about this?" Yamcha asked before cupping his hands to the right side of his body.

"Ah, the good old Kamehameha Wave." Jorgen said confusing Luffy, Tarble, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp.

"Kamehameha Wave?" Tarble asked in confusion.

"You'll see." Kakarot grinned.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Usopp gulped while sweating nervously.

"Hold on, I've heard of this technique. The Kamehameha Wave is a move that was invented by a Turtle Hermit named Master Roshi. Right now, Yamcha's gathering all of the latent energy in his body and plans to release it in one single attack. But I've never seen it in action before." Pigero explained while sweating a little.

"Get ready Straw Hat! **Ka-me-ha-me...**" Yamcha started as blue energy began to form in his hands.

"The Kamehameha Wave? Is it similar to the Galick Gun?" Tarble thought as he watched the energy grow.

"**HAAAAAAAA!**" Yamcha fired his Kamehameha Wave at Luffy who looked at it in awe.

"LUFFY, DON'T JUST STAND THERE, DO SOMETHING!" Usopp shouted to his Straw Hat friend.

"Oh right! **Gum-Gum Balloon!**" Luffy blew himself up with his Gum-Gum Balloon to block the Kamehameha Wave before he bounced it right back at Yamcha who was shocked as well as his friends and everyone else.

"No way!" Yamcha yelled before he jumped out of the way just before the wave could hit him as some members of the audience got away before the wave ended as Yamcha looked at Luffy and yelled, "Okay, how did he do that!? Something's not right, Roshi's been holding out on me!"

"That was so cool! So, what else can you do Yamcha?" Luffy asked with excitement as Yamcha landed in the ring again.

"You want more? Okay, but remember you brought this on yourself Straw Hat!" Yamcha said as he grunted and began to build up power in his right hand while holding his right wrist with his left hand.

"Oh boy, looks like Yamcha's using that move again." Krillin said.

"I shouldn't be surprised, after all it's his favorite technique next to the Wolf Fang Fist." Jorgen said as Tarble turned to them.

"What are you guys talking about?" Tarble asked in confusion.

"It's a special technique that Yamcha created himself. Wait and see." Tien said, not taking his eyes off the ring as a ball of energy formed above Yamcha's hand.

"Wow, that looks so cool and so powerful!" Luffy exclaimed while looking at the energy ball in awe.

"For you... only the best!" Yamcha grunted as the energy ball got a little bigger, then he yelled, "There's no way you can deflect this Straw Hat! **SPIRIT BALL!**" then he threw the Spirit Ball at Luffy who dodged it, but Yamcha smirked and moved his hand around as the ball came back towards Luffy who gasped and dodged it again as both fighters kept at it while everyone in the audience looked on in shock.

Then the Spirit Ball got Luffy in the face good before Yamcha made it slam into the ground on top of Luffy just before it exploded.

"LUFFY!" Tarble, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero yelled out as Luffy grunted as he tried to get up.

"Man, even after all of that, you're still raring to go?" Yamcha asked getting into fighting position as Luffy stood on his feet again.

"Now it's my turn! **Gum-Gum Gatling!**" then Luffy let out a barrage of punches fast with his stretched out hands, getting Yamcha pretty good as he tried to block some of the attacks, but they just kept on coming, then he got punched hard in the gut, sending him to the wall and making him land on the grass next to the ring, out of bounds.

"And that's it, Yamcha's out of bounds! The winner of the first match is Monkey D. Luffy!" the announcer declared as the audience cheered for Luffy as he jumped up and down in victory while Tarble flew down to join him as the two pirates danced together while laughing.

"Atta boy Luffy!" Usopp cheered with an arm around Pigero's shoulders.

"Wow, I never thought I'd lose to someone with Devil Fruit powers. Oh well, I guess that means I still have some training to do." Yamcha thought as he walked over to Luffy and Tarble who stopped dancing to look at the warrior with scars as Yamcha smiled, held out a hand to Luffy and said, "Good match Luffy."

"Back at ya Yamcha!" Luffy grinned as he and Yamcha shook hands.

"Had me going myself." Tarble added with a little giggle, then he looked at Tien and thought, "Now it's my turn."

* * *

The East Blue Martial Arts Tournament has officially begun with Luffy claiming the first spot in the semifinals, but who will join him? There's only one way to find out, stay tuned as Tarble and Tien face off in the second match next time on The X-Pirates!


	14. Tarble VS Tien

Previously on The X-Pirates, the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament kicked off with Luffy going against Yamcha. Both fighters gave it their all, and in the end, Luffy was the one who won the match, earning him a spot in the semifinals. Now it's time for the next match to begin!

Tarble VS Tien

Yamcha and Luffy walked out of the ring, leaving Tarble there as the Saiyan Prince was stretching to get himself prepared for his fight against Tien Shinhan who was looking at his opponent with a serious look on his face.

"And there you have it folks, the first spot in the semifinals has been claimed by Luffy! Now it's time to begin the second match between Tarble and Tien Shinhan!" the announcer declared as Tien floated from his spot and now he and Tarble were facing each other in the ring.

"Now it looks like Tarble's up next!" Usopp yelled happily, but then he looked at Tien and asked, "Say, who's that guy anyway?"

Nami turned to Zoro and asked, "Do you have any idea who that three-eyed guy is?"

"Not a clue, I only went after pirates and anyone who carries a sword." Zoro said with his arms crossed.

"I know who that is." Zoro, Nami, and Usopp turned to Pigero who continued explaining, "That's Tien Shinhan, he was once a student of a Crane Hermit named Master Shen, a rival of Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit. For reasons unknown, Tien suddenly decided to leave the Crane school with his close and only friend from the same school named Chiaotzu. But that doesn't erase the fact that his moves are considered very dangerous and sometimes deadly."

Usopp started to shake as he stuttered, "D-D-D-Did you j-j-j-just say d-d-d-d-deadly?" then he shook his head, calmed down a little as he said, "But he's no match for Tarble, I mean he defeated Mercenary Tao, so Tarble shouldn't have a problem with this Tien guy... right?"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Tarble told me and Luffy that he had to struggle a bit against Tao. And just by looking at Tien, he just might be stronger than Tao." Nami said while looking at the ring.

* * *

Tarble and Tien got into fighting position and waited for the battle to begin.

"Let me ask you something, are you related to Kakarot in any way?" Tien asked seriously, when he saw the confused look on Tarble's face, he added, "I'm only asking because you both have tails."

Tarble looked at his tail, then said, "Not quite, me and Kakarot are both aliens called Saiyans. He mentioned what Saiyans are, right?" when Tien nodded his head, Tarble said, "Good, then you should know by now what Saiyans like myself can do."

"Fighters, are you ready?" the announcer asked as Tarble and Tien nodded while Luffy watched from Tarble's old spot outside the ring as the announcer declared, "Then let the match begin!"

"I'll start." Tien said before he charged towards Tarble with great speed, taking Luffy and the rest of the crew by surprise.

"Whoa, that's fast!" Luffy gasped in awe just as Tarble blocked Tien's punch with his arm, then Tarble went to punch Tien, but that got blocked as well.

Then, as both Tien and Tarble let go of each other, Tien tried to get Tarble with a barrage of fast punches, but the Saiyan Prince just kept dodging all the hits Tien was throwing his way, something that caught Kakarot's eye.

"Wow, that guy's pretty fast to be able to dodge Tien's attacks like that!" Jorgen commented just as Tarble jumped up into the air while Tien jumped after him.

"Yeah, the only one who was able to do that is Kakarot." Krillin whispered in agreement as Tien fired an energy blast at Tarble, a move that Luffy and the rest of his crew wasn't expecting.

"I DIDN'T KNOW HE COULD DO THAT!" Usopp yelled in shock with his hands on his head as Tarble deflected the attack back at Tien, who knocked it away.

Then Tien and Tarble charged towards each other in the air and began to trade punches and kicks really fast, then with one blocked attack, the two of them landed back in the ring as Tien commented, "I have to admit, you're really something. The only time I had to fight like this was when I sparred against Kakarot."

"You're pretty tough yourself Tien, but this is just the beginning." Tarble said while getting ready to attack again.

"Indeed it is." Tien agreed just before he and Tarble charged towards each other so fast, that they disappeared from the naked eye, taking Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero by surprise.

"Tarble! Where did he go!?" Luffy asked while looking around the ring for his friend.

"They just disappeared!" Nami yelled in shock but they can still hear Tien and Tarble punching, kicking, and grunting.

"Uh, Tien?" Chiaotzu asked while looking around.

"This is just crazy!" Yamcha said as he and Krillin moved their eyes frantically.

"Tell me about it, they're moving so fast my ears can't keep up!" Krillin agreed while Kakarot had no problem keeping up with the fighters movements.

Then with one final grunt, Tien and Tarble reappeared in the ring, shocking the announcer as he said through the microphone, "There they are, Tien Shinhan and Tarble have reappeared right after their little vanishing act! Keep your eyes peeled folks, there's no telling what they might do next!"

Just as the announcer said that, Tarble and Tien charged towards each other again and tried to see who had the stronger grip on their opponent as Zoro crossed his arms and smirked, "Well, looks like neither one of them are holding anything back. This is turning out to be quite an interesting fight, glad we came."

Then Tarble grabbed Tien by the ankle using his tail and then threw him into the air, and then he flew after him just as Tien stopped in midair, making Usopp yell in annoyance, "Oh, come on! How many of these guys know how to fly!?"

"That was pretty sneaky of you Tarble, using your tail against me like that. Just watch this." Tien said before he held his index finger out in a familiar way.

"Hold on, is that...?" Tarble thought as energy began to form at the tip of Tien's finger.

"**DODON RAY!**" Tien suddenly fired a Dodon Ray at Tarble, taking him by surprise as he quickly dodged the attack before Tien called it off.

"WHAT!? HE KNOWS THAT ATTACK TOO!?" Luffy shouted in shock to see the same attack that took his Mother's life years ago.

"I didn't expect him to know the same move Mercenary Tao used on me." Tarble whispered, but Tien kinda heard it.

"What are you talking about? Who has the same attack as me?" Tien asked.

"A notorious mercenary known throughout the whole East Blue named Mercenary Tao, he used that same attack you used on me. I've fought him, and killed him." Tarble explained, shocking both Tien and Chiaotzu.

"What, you killed Tao!?" Tien yelled in shock.

"Yeah, but how do you know his attack?" Tarble asked.

"I used to train in the Crane School under the guidance of my former master, Master Shen, and Mercenary Tao, the man you said you've killed, that man happens to be the younger brother of Master Shen." Tien began explaining, shocking Luffy, Tarble, and the rest of the crew, then Tien continued with, "But even at that time, we didn't have the same goals, so me and Chiaotzu left the Crane School and eventually met Kakarot, Krillin, Yamcha, and Jorgen. Tao wasn't exactly the best instructor and his heart was as cold as ice, so if you did kill Tao, I owe you my gratitude."

Tarble smiled a little with a nod, then it turned into a smirk as he got into his Galick Gun position and said, "I'll consider us even if you come at me with everything you've got."

"It's a deal." Tien said getting the fight back on track as purple energy began to gather around Tarble's hands as his entire body was surrounded by a purple aura.

"Uh... Anybody have any idea what Tarble's doing up there?" Usopp asked in confusion.

"Looks like he's gathering energy for some sort of attack." Pigero replied looking up in the sky carefully.

"You don't think that guy's gonna try using the Kamehameha Wave, do ya?" Jorgen asked his friends.

"Not quite, it may look like it, but he's charging up some different attack in a way similar to the Kamehameha Wave." Kakarot replied seriously.

"**Galick Gun FIIIIRRRE****!**" Tarble fired a Galick Gun at Tien, who was shocked by the attack as he barely dodged the attack that kept on going before it exploded in the distance away from the tournament, shocking everyone in the area.

"Unbelievable, he just fired a powerful attack that's similar to Master Roshi's Kamehameha Wave! If I didn't know any better, that attack was probably even stronger than the Kamehameha Wave itself!" Tien thought in shock as he looked at Tarble who was pretty surprised himself.

"YEAH, I FINALLY GOT IT DOWN RIGHT! WOO-HOO!" Tarble suddenly cheered loud as everyone, except for Luffy and Kakarot, sweat dropped while looking at the Saiyan Prince.

"Tarble, you're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Zoro muttered as he face-palmed himself.

"I think I need to sit down for a minute." Usopp said quietly as he slowly sank down to the ground.

Then Tien charged towards Tarble and went for a punch, but the only thing he did hit was an image of a cheering Tarble that suddenly disappeared as Tien thought, "So, he must have learned the Afterimage Technique, where could he be hiding?"

Then Tien suddenly got hit from behind with a kick as he landed back in the ring, then Tarble appeared in front of him as Tarble grinned and said, "Didn't expect that, did ya?"

"Clever sneak." Tien said silently with a smirk as he got to his feet.

"It doesn't get any better than this folks, Tarble and Tien Shinhan standing toe-to-toe in intense combat! The way it looks now, this match could go either way! Let's just hope they don't disappear on us again." the announcer commented, but someone thought differently.

"I hate to disagree, but he's wrong." Krillin, Yamcha, Jorgen, Chiaotzu, and Luffy turned to Kakarot who had his arms crossed with a serious look on his face with his tail slowly waving behind him.

"What do you mean?" Jorgen asked in confusion.

"Look for yourself, one of them clearly comes up short. Tien's got another thing coming if he thinks he can beat an opponent like Tarble with his usual tactics. Take a good look at Tarble, after all that running around, he hasn't even lost his breath. It's clear to me that Tarble has somehow learned to control the energy in his body, saving just about enough to stay one step ahead of Tien." Kakarot explained as the other five fighters saw that Tien was the only one panting while Tarble looked like he could keep going.

Luffy grinned at the other fighters next to him as he said, "Yep, that's my pal, he'll do just about anything to be the strongest Saiyan ever." that shocked the other fighters, but mostly Kakarot.

"That's why he's here!? That's amazing!" Kakarot thought in shock, then Tarble charged towards Tien once again, then he and Tien began to trade punches at each other once again, but then Tarble headbutted Tien to the wall, destroying it as Tarble charged towards Tien once again, but then Tien recovered quickly and took to the sky again as Tarble flew after him as the two of them started to trade fast punches and kicks to each other once again before they landed back in the ring leaving the audience a bit stunned at their speed.

"Well done, I'm amazed by your level of skill. You're already near perfection. No, even that doesn't even begin to describe your talent, you might even be stronger than Kakarot since you're a Saiyan like him." Tien commented while panting a bit.

"Thank you Tien, but you should save that praise for yourself, you're pretty powerful, even stronger than Mercenary Tao." Tarble commented back.

"But seriously, ever since my fight with Kakarot, there's one skill I've improved upon that even a Saiyan like you can't keep up with, and it happens to be the most important tool in a successful attack!" Tien said confusing Tarble.

"And what might that be?" Tarble asked carefully.

"THAT IS THE SKILL OF SPEED!" Tien yelled before he began to run very fast in different directions in the ring to try to throw Tarble off, then suddenly he took off to the sky once again as Tarble flew after him.

"What, AGAIN with the aerial fighting!?" Usopp yelled in annoyance.

"Why can't they stay in the ring to fight!?" Nami yelled just as annoyed.

* * *

Up above the clouds, Tarble used his senses to try to find Tien.

"Face it Tarble, even Kakarot had a difficult time trying to find me moving this fast!" Tarble heard Tien say as he fired an energy blast at nothing but some clouds.

"Even if you could disappear in random directions, I'd still be able to find you! My third eye isn't just for show!" Tarble heard Tien again as he fired another energy blast at some more clouds and nothing else, just then he heard Tien ask, "Looking for me?"

Then Tarble suddenly got kicked in the gut and then Tien appeared and punched Tarble down to the ring as he flew after him and landed in the ring before Tarble, and then, just before Tarble could hit the ring, Tien gave him another good kick, sending him flying.

"OH NO, TARBLE!" Usopp shouted in concern.

"HE'LL LAND OUTSIDE THE RING!" Pigero shouted as well.

"Yeah Tien!" Chiaotzu cheered, but just before Tarble could land out of bounds, he suddenly spun around in midair and made his way back into the ring, he stopped spinning and faced Tien once again.

Nami, Usopp, and Pigero sighed in relief as Zoro commented, "That was some quick thinking."

"Way to go Tarble!" Luffy cheered.

"You've got me there Tien Shinhan, I can tell you're not gonna make this easy on me." Tarble commented.

Tien panted some more as he said, "Would you really want me to? I doubt it. I don't envy your position. Anyone who hopes to defeat me, better ask for a miracle first."

"Yeah, you're quite a challenge." Tarble happily mentioned.

"You can't defeat me this way. Your body is slower than mine, and that will be your undoing." Tien said while wiping a little sweat off his forehead.

"I appreciate your concern. I mean, it's true that I'm nowhere near as fast as I'd like to be." Tarble said while flexing his arms and tail a little, shocking everyone else.

"What!? I'm probably just hearing things!" Usopp said in shock.

"Tarble moves at the speed of light and he thinks he's slow!?" Pigero asked in shock.

"Well, this IS Tarble we're talking about, remember?" Zoro mentioned while sweating a little bit.

"That guy has never been normal." Nami added with a dull look on her face.

"Yeah, tell him Tarble! Show him your power!" Luffy cheered with a fist in the air.

"Now, it's time to continue the fight." Tien said while getting back into fighting position.

"Hold on a minute." Tarble said while holding a hand up, confusing Tien and everyone else, including Luffy and the crew as Tarble had his hands on his armor and said, "Before we can continue the fight, do you mind if I take off my armor?"

"Suit yourself, if you're gonna lose you might as well be comfortable." Tien said as Tarble began to remove his armor.

"I've only been on this planet for a short while Tien, but I can tell that you've been training hard." Tarble commented as he looked like he was struggling a bit.

"Of course, I came here to win." Tien said with his arms crossed.

"The heat is beginning to take its toll on the fighters, especially Tarble! He obviously hopes to find some relief by relieving himself of his uniform! That's quite an unusual solution, but then again, these two titans aren't your average everyday fighters!" the announcer said while fanning himself due to the heat while Tarble struggled some more on taking his armor off, confusing everyone else.

"Now there's something you don't see everyday." Krillin mentioned in confusion.

"Am I seeing things again, or is Tarble really struggling to take his Saiyan armor off?" Usopp asked his friends.

"Maybe the heat HAS gotten to him." Pigero agreed as Tarble finally got his armor off.

"I don't think that's normal." Nami mentioned.

"If it's something that Tarble's struggling with, you're probably right." Zoro agreed.

"Oh boy, that feels much better." Tarble sighed in relief as he dropped his armor as it landed in the ring with quite a thud, taking Tien by surprise.

"Hey Tarble, do you mind if I take a look at that?" Tien asked while pointing at the armor.

"Sure, if you want." Tarble said as he started to take his gloves off while Tien went for the armor as he tried to pick it up, but he had trouble for some reason.

"Wh-What is this!?" Tien asked as he slowly lifted the armor off the floor as he looked at Tarble and asked, "Tarble, this thing weighs a ton! Have you been wearing this the whole time!?"

"Yeah, as part of my training that I've been going through when I was travelling from planet to planet." Tarble said as he took off one of his gloves as he dropped it as it landed with a thud, shocking Tien further as Tarble took off his other glove and then went for his boots and continued with, "One of my former instructors told me to wear something like that three years ago. He made heavy copies of my armor, and I've been wearing it ever since I arrived on Earth." Tarble finished as he just finished taking his boots off as he wiggled his toes a little, leaving him in his blue jumpsuit while Tien checked out the gloves and boots.

"Your glove as well? And your boot?" Tien asked in disbelief while feeling how heavy they were as the announcer came up to them.

"Uh, excuse me, could you continue the fight? This is a tournament." the announcer asked while sweat dropping as Luffy and Usopp came up to them.

"Tarble, what are you doing man?" Usopp asked while sweat dropping.

Luffy turned to Tien and said, "Come on, you've got a fight to continue, I'll hold on to Tarble's armor for you."

"And I'll get the boots and the gloves." Usopp said as he began to get Tarble's gloves and boots, but he was struggling to do so as he was surprised as he gasped, "Hey! What the...!?"

Tien gave Luffy the armor as Luffy had trouble keeping it up as he grunted, "Man, this thing is heavy!"

"Now those two guys are acting strange." Krillin mentioned with a raised eyebrow as Usopp dropped a glove and just went for the boots and he decided to try them on.

"Oh man, I don't see how Tarble can run in these boots, let alone walk!" Usopp grunted as struggled to walk in Tarble's boots.

"Yeah, it wasn't easy Usopp. Each one of those boots weigh about 20 kilos." Tarble said while rubbing his sore foot, shocking the others, especially Kakarot.

"What!? I don't believe it, I'm pretty sure no other Saiyan would have armor that heavy! I'm starting to wonder if I could take him on!" Kakarot thought in shock.

"Man, this really is impossible, I'm just glad I'm nowhere near water right now!" Usopp grunted as he kept walking.

Tien then placed Tarble's gloves on top of his armor, making it heavier for Luffy as he grunted, "This is worse! How heavy are the gloves and armor together anyway!?"

Tarble thought back a little before he replied, "I'd say about 100 kilos."

"100 KILOS!?" Luffy, Usopp, Zoro, Nami, Pigero, Krillin, Yamcha, and Jorgen yelled in disbelief and shock.

"Yeah, it took me a while to handle that much weight, plus the many changing gravity levels on the planets I've visited. At first, I struggled to carry a few rocks, it was tough, but boy was it worth it." Tarble explained as Luffy and Usopp went back to Zoro, Nami, and Pigero with Tarble's heavy clothing.

"I don't believe this guy, he's just like Kakarot, he'll do just about anything to get stronger! Are all Saiyans like them when it comes to getting stronger!?" Tien thought in shock as Tarble stood up again.

"Man, this feels much better! I'm as light as a feather now!" Tarble happily said as he began to jump up and down, getting higher with each as he began to laugh as he added, "Actually, I feel even lighter than a feather!" then he began to run around in different areas of the ring at even greater speed, taking everyone in the area by surprise as he began to throw a barrage of very fast punches and kicks in the air, so fast that even Tien had trouble keeping up as Tarble finished with a fast spinning kick that made him look like a blue tornado to everyone else.

"Kakarot, I hate to admit it, but I think you might have some real competition when you fight against that guy." Krillin said while sweating nervously and pointing at Tarble who just finished spinning as he faced Tien again.

"I know, and I'm getting excited too!" Kakarot said with a big grin on his face.

"Okay Tien, I'm all warmed up! Let's go!" Tarble said while getting into fighting position while Tien got serious himself.

Then Tien charged towards Tarble and tried to attack the Saiyan Prince with his speedy attacks, but Tarble kept on dodging the attacks.

Tien and Tarble stopped to look at each other as Tien said, "Tarble, I would congratulate you for your increased speed if it wasn't such a shame. All that training you've mentioned earlier, and I'm still one step ahead of you."

"Are you sure about that?" Tarble smirked, confusing Tien, then Tarble's smirk turned into a grin as he held up a red belt and asked, "This is your belt, right?"

Tien looked down to see that his belt was gone as his pants fell down to his ankles as Tien blushed in embarrassment and pulled his pants back up while everyone else, except for Nami, laughed at what just happened as Tien kept blushing and yelled, "This can't be happening! You stole my belt right from under me!?"

"Sure did." Tarble answered while Luffy and Usopp fell on their backs laughing hard.

"Man, Tarble's pretty quick on his feet!" Kakarot thought, even though he was laughing.

"It doesn't make any sense, I should've seen him coming!" Tien thought, then he calmed down a bit before he declared, "Now that I know, I won't fall for the same trick again. Tien Shinhan falls before no one!" he let go of his pants, causing them to fall back down again as he flailed a bit, but he kept his footing, but that just made everyone else laugh harder.

"Here, you might have a better chance if you have this back." Tarble said while giving Tien his belt back as Tien snatched it back.

"I don't need your help! You've done enough already!" Tien yelled as he tried to put his belt back on.

"Oh man, I think I need to see a doctor!" Usopp laughed hard.

"So do I!" Luffy laughed just as hard, but then both Luffy and Usopp got smacked on their heads by Nami.

"SHUT UP YOU GUYS, IT'S NOT THAT FUNNY!" Nami yelled angrily as Tien got his belt back on.

"You got me there Tarble, but this time you won't be so lucky. None of my past opponents didn't see this attack coming, not even Kakarot." Tien said as he placed his hands on each side of his head, confusing Tarble a bit.

"You mean something other than the Dodon Ray?" Tarble asked.

"Exactly just watch! **SOLAR FLARE!**" Tien suddenly summoned a very bright light, blinding pretty much everyone in the area.

"Man, I hate it when he uses that technique!" Jorgen yelled while covering his eyes the best he can.

"Argh, my eyes!" Tarble yelled while covering his eyes, but then he felt a hard punch to the gut and then a chop to the neck as he landed on his face in the ring just as the bright light died down.

Usopp opened his eyes a little as he asked, "Is anyone else seeing spots right now?"

"Oh no, Tarble's down!" Pigero yelled as everyone saw that Tarble was face down in the ring, not moving a bit.

"And it looks like Tarble's down! According to the rules, it's my cue to start the countdown!" the announcer said as he started the countdown.

"Get up Tarble! Get up!" Luffy yelled.

"Whoa, looks like the poor guy didn't see that coming." Krillin said while Kakarot kept his eyes on Tarble.

"Wait for it, this battle isn't over yet." Kakarot whispered just before Tarble quickly got back on his feet, stopping the countdown just after seven, taking Tien by surprise.

"Hey, the next time you try something like that, do me a favor and pass out some sunglasses!" Tarble grunted a bit as he cracked his neck.

"Tarble's back on his feet once again!" the announcer said as he got off the ring so the fight can continue.

"I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to this, but it looks like I'll have to play my best card." Tien said seriously.

"Best card? Are they playing some kind of card game now?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"No Luffy, it means Tien has some sort of special technique that he has yet to use." Pigero said while sweat dropping a little.

"I'm ready Tien, try it." Tarble said while getting into fighting position.

"Tien sounds serious." Yamcha mentioned.

"You're right, now I want to see what technique Tien has in store for Tarble." Jorgen agreed.

"Let's take this to the sky first, I don't want anyone else to get hurt." Tien said as he and Tarble flew up to the sky, that's when Tien said, "This next attack of mine is my most powerful technique, if you're lucky it won't kill you."

"What's he doing now?" Zoro asked with a raised eyebrow while Kakarot, Krillin, Yamcha, Jorgen, and Chiaotzu knew what Tien's gonna use as their eyes were wide in shock.

"He's really gonna go with the Tri-Beam Cannon!?" Jorgen yelled in shock as Pigero quickly turned to them with wide eyes of his own.

"DON'T TIEN, DON'T!" Chiaotzu yelled to his friend.

"Why are they talking about?" Nami asked in confusion.

"I have no idea." Usopp shrugged.

"What did they say that Tien guy was gonna use?" Luffy asked.

"The Tri-Beam Cannon." Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp turned to Pigero who had a little sweat roll down his face as continued explaining, "A very powerful and dangerous technique, one that's more dangerous than the Kamehameha Wave, and quite possibly Tarble's Galick Gun attack. However, using the Tri-Beam Cannon comes with a price, it leaves the user exhausted to the point of death."

Usopp gasped in shock, "What!? Is he nuts!? Why would Tien use a technique that could kill him on the spot!?"

"Believe it or not Usopp, but there are people who would gladly give up their lives for their honor, and it looks like Tien is one of them." Zoro said with his arms crossed as they looked up to see Tien charging up power as his hands were positioned in an open square.

"Focus, if I don't do this right, and that might be my last mistake." Tien thought as yellow energy glowed around his hands as he yelled, "It's time, get ready Tarble! **TRI-BEAM!**" then Tien fired his Tri-Beam Cannon at Tarble, but then Tarble just barely avoided the attack as it kept going and exploded somewhere else in the East Blue.

After the attack, Tien was panting hard as he thought, "I missed, looks like he's too much for me now. But, where is he?"

Then Tien was suddenly kicked down to the ground... next to the ring with a thud while Tarble landed in the ring, smiled at the audience and gave off a Saiyan peace sign to the crowd.

"It's official, Tien Shinhan is out of bounds, the winner of the match is Tarble!" the announcer declared as the audience cheered.

"YEAH, HE DID IT!" Luffy and Usopp cheered loud with an arm around each other.

Tien got back on the ring to talk to Tarble, who grinned and said, "I have to admit, those were some pretty good techniques you had up your sleeve Tien, kept me on my toes a bit."

"I won't pretend I'm not wounded, but it's only my pride. You did a good job Tarble, congratulations." Tien said as he and Tarble shook hands.

"Wow, he just dodged Tien's strongest attack." Krillin said sounding pretty stunned.

"Yeah, and they both made it out alive." Chiaotzu sighed in relief.

"This tournament is turning out to be better than I thought it would be. I have a feeling that I'll be facing Tarble in the finals, I can't wait for that to happen." Kakarot thought as he looked at Tarble with a silly grin on his face.

* * *

And so, after quite an interesting battle, Tarble has won against Tien Shinhan and moves on to the semifinals with Luffy. The only question is: Who will take the last two spots in the semifinals of the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament? Jorgen, Chiaotzu, Krillin, or Kakarot? Find out as the second half of the quarterfinals of the tournament begins next time on The X-Pirates!


	15. Jorgen VS Chiaotzu

Previously on The X-Pirates, Tarble fought against Tien Shinhan in the second match, and they just kept on surprising the other fighters. In the end, Tarble won the match and advances to the semifinals along with Luffy. Now it's time for the third match between Jorgen and Chiaotzu, and there's no telling how that will play out!

Jorgen VS Chiaotzu

After the fight, they took a bit of a break so the fighters could take a breather and now Luffy and Tarble were sitting down enjoying some food in the fighters waiting room and Tarble was still only in his blue jumpsuit from his fight with Tien.

"Oh boy, was I hungry!" Tarble said happily while eating.

"Boy Tarble, you really took me by surprise, I didn't expect that battle to be so awesome!" Luffy commented while slapping Tarble on the back as the two of them shared a good laugh just as Kakarot walked over with Krillin, Yamcha, Jorgen, Tien, and Chiaotzu.

"Oh boy, food!" Kakarot cheered as he rushed over to join the feeding frenzy while Krillin and the other four fighters just sat and watch while sweat dropping a little.

"And I was just getting used to only Kakarot eating like this." Jorgen whispered as Luffy, Tarble, and Kakarot kept on eating.

"You guys don't seem to be that interested in the prize money, are ya?" Krillin asked Luffy and Tarble.

"Nope, not us, Nami's more interested in the prize money." Luffy said with his mouth full.

"Who's Nami?" Chiaotzu asked in confusion.

"She's the navigator for our pirate crew, and a very skillful one at that. Which is good because we're gonna need a good navigator if we're gonna reach the Grand Line." Tarble answered taking Kakarot and his friends by surprise.

"Hold on, you're trying to go to the Grand Line!?" Yamcha asked in shock as Luffy and Tarble happily nodded while Yamcha calmed down a bit as he asked, "Just the two of you and this navigator of yours?"

"Not just us, we have three more members of our pirate crew as well." Luffy said while munching on some meat again while Tarble held up three fingers.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but does this crew of yours include the famous pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro?" Tien asked with his arms crossed.

"Yeah, me and Tarble saved him from a marine base that was under control of this guy with a giant ax for a hand." Luffy answered with a grin on his face.

"So who are the other two that came here with you?" Krillin asked, talking about Usopp and Pigero.

"Well, the guy with the long nose is Usopp, and the guy in the headband is a Devil Fruit user named Pigero." Tarble answered.

"And you six plan on going through the Grand Line alone!?" Jorgen asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, it's just us for now, but we'll add more members to the crew soon enough. We'll probably add more members before we reach the Grand Line or once we enter it, not sure yet." Luffy shrugged as Kakarot turned his attention to the only other Saiyan in the room.

"Tarble, can I ask you something?" Kakarot asked sounding serious.

"Sure Kakarot, go ahead." Tarble said with a nod.

"During your fight against Tien, Luffy told us that you're trying to become the strongest Saiyan ever, any particular reason why you want to reach that kind of goal?" Kakarot asked as Tarble's face grew a little dark.

"Yes, it's true that I'm trying to become the strongest Saiyan ever, it's so I can redeem the Saiyan name for the better." Tarble said seriously as he put his food down on his plate, then he turned to his fellow Saiyan and continued with, "You see, I was against the ways of our fellow Saiyans, and I was born with a weak power level when I was a baby, and I was still considered weak as I got a little older. On Planet Vegeta, I was even considered a disgrace to all Saiyans, and because of that, the King of Saiyans banished me from Planet Vegeta when I was still a kid."

"The King of Saiyans?" Jorgen asked with his arms crossed.

"...My Father." Tarble kinda hesitated, shocking the others, especially Kakarot, but not Luffy.

"Wait, if your Father is a Saiyan King, then that would mean you're a..." Krillin started, but didn't get to finish.

Tarble nodded, "That's right, it means I'm a Saiyan Prince."

"I had no idea he was the Prince of Saiyans!" Kakarot thought in shock.

"Anyway, when I woke up in my Space Pod, I've realized that it was my Father who did it to me, and I decided to myself that I would prove him and any other Saiyan who called me a disgrace wrong, and to make a better name for all Saiyan kind. So, I've traveled to a bunch of different planets for years, continuing my training, to accomplish my goal to become the strongest Saiyan ever and to redeem the Saiyan name. Then one day, I came to this planet, and now I'm here as a member of Luffy's pirate crew. He's one of the first friends I've made on this planet." Tarble explained while taking a glance at Luffy.

"If you're trying to become a strong Saiyan, then that must mean you aim to become a Super Saiyan." Kakarot said seriously, confusing Luffy, Krillin, Yamcha, Jorgen, Tien, and Chiaotzu while Tarble just nodded his head.

"Hold on, back up here you two! What are you talking about, what the hell is a Super Saiyan!?" Jorgen asked in shock.

"It's only spoken of in Saiyan legend, but it's a transformation that gives a Saiyan a lot of power. However, it's told that a Saiyan won't have control of himself or herself once they reach the form known as the Legendary Super Saiyan." Tarble answered surprising all except for Kakarot, then the intercom went off.

"The third match is about to begin. Will Jorgen and Chiaotzu please come up to the ring?" the person announced on the intercom.

"Hey Jorgen, we're next." Chiaotzu said turning to his opponent.

"Right, we'd better get over there! Let's go guys!" Jorgen said as he and Chiaotzu ran off while Luffy, Tarble, Kakarot, Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien followed after them.

* * *

Later in the ring, Jorgen and Chiaotzu took their spots waiting for the battle to begin while Luffy and Tarble watched with Kakarot, Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting! We're halfway through the quarterfinals with Luffy and Tarble taking the first two spots of the semifinals, now it's time to find out who will take the third spot! Let's give it up for Jorgen and Chiaotzu!" the announcer declared as the audience cheered for both fighters.

"That Jorgen guy looks like he's ready for anything." Zoro said with his arms crossed while looking at Jorgen.

"Yeah, but that cute little guy isn't even taking a fighting position." Nami said while looking at Chiaotzu.

"I think that guy said that the little guy's name is Chiaotzu." Usopp said thinking it over, then he turned to Pigero and asked, "Do you know anything about him Pigero?"

"Not much except for the fact that he used to study under the same Martial Arts school as Tien Shinhan, and that he's Tien's closest friend. His moves and abilities as a fighter are as much of a mystery to me as it is to you guys." Pigero explained while they looked at Chiaotzu once again.

"Don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're my friend." Jorgen smirked as he took a fighting position.

"Same here." Chiaotzu said just standing there.

"Fighters, you may begin!" the announcer declared as Jorgen charged towards Chiaotzu.

Chiaotzu just floated a little above the ring and began to dodge the punches Jorgen was throwing his way, until Chiaotzu got Jorgen with a kick to the head, that gave Jorgen the chance to go for the gut as they backed away from each other as Chiaotzu took his hat off, showing his shiny head and his one strand of hair, that kind made Usopp laugh a little until Nami smacked him in the back of the head.

"Here I come Jorgen!" Chiaotzu yelled as he flew fast towards Jorgen while spinning fast as Jorgen gasped and dodged the attack while Chiaotzu kept going after him while Jorgen moved around to dodge.

"Man, I hate it when Chiaotzu does this!" Jorgen thought as he jumped up and flew up with Chiaotzu spinning after him.

"Okay, now they're just showing off with their ability to fly like that." Usopp muttered with an annoyed look on his face while Jorgen kept flying around to dodge Chiaotzu's attack, until he couldn't take it anymore.

"That's it, I've had enough of this!" Jorgen yelled as he charged towards Chiaotzu and blocked his attack with his hands, then Chiaotzu stopped spinning as the two fighters faced each other again.

"Nice one Jorgen, get ready for this!" Chiaotzu said as he held his index finger up and got ready for another attack, one that Luffy wasn't happy to see.

"Just how many of these guys here know that move?" Luffy muttered to himself angrily as he thought beck to when Tao used that move on his Mother, but Tarble still heard him as he gently patted Luffy on the back.

"**Dodon Ray!**" Chiaotzu fired a Dodon Ray at Jorgen who flew back down to the ring and began to run around as Chiaotzu kept firing his Dodon Ray at him.

"Just how many of these fighters know that move anyway?" Usopp asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, the Dodon Ray is a signature move of the Crane Hermit, just as the Kamehameha Wave is to the Turtle Hermit, so I would say only Tien and Chiaotzu." Pigero answered with a finger on his chin while Nami turned and saw that Luffy's eyes were covered by his hat.

"Luffy looks upset about something, but what?" Nami thought as Chiaotzu kept firing his Dodon Ray while Jorge kept running around the ring when he also stuck his tongue out while laughing.

"Come on little buddy, you almost had me there!" Jorgen taunted as he laughed and kept running around the ring with Chiaotzu kept on firing.

"And as always, Jorgen's having too much fun and getting a bit carried away." Krillin sighed while Tarble raised an eyebrow in confusion as Jorgen smirked and stopped running while Chiaotzu held his fire.

"I'll use this last one at maximum power!" Chiaotzu said as he powered up one final Dodon Ray in the air.

"Just what I like to hear, now it's my turn!" Jorgen said as he got into a Kamehameha position.

"Get ready. **Dodon...**" Chiaotzu powered up another Dodon Ray as the energy grew in his finger.

"**Ka-me-ha-me...**" Jorgen gathered up blue energy in his cupped hands.

"Looks like we're gonna see a collision between the Kamehameha Wave, a signature technique of the Turtle Hermit school, and the Dodon Ray, a signature technique of the Crane Hermit school! Don't blink or you'll miss the action folks!" the announcer yelled in shock.

"Really? This, I gotta see." Zoro chuckled while Usopp ducked in fear.

"**RAY!**" Chiaotzu fired a powerful Dodon Ray at Jorgen.

"**HAAAAAA!**" Jorgen collided the Dodon Ray with his Kamehameha Wave as the collision lasted for about ten seconds before they exploded and cancelled each other out.

Jorgen and Chiaotzu waited for the smoke to clear up before they charged towards each other with Jorgen getting into a familiar stance.

"Heads up Chiaotzu! **WOLF FANG FIST!**" then Jorgen tried to attack Chiaotzu with the Wolf Fang Fist as Chiaotzu kept dodging the attacks, but then Chiaotzu held his hands in front of him and Jorgen suddenly felt like his stomach was on fire as he stopped and grunted.

"What!? That little guy just held his hands out in front of him and Jorgen just stopped!" Usopp yelled in shock as the fighters floated back to the ring.

"How many techniques does Chiaotzu know!?" Pigero yelled in shock while Chiaotzu smirked at Jorgen who kept grunting.

"I hate... when you do that!" Jorgen grunted with his hands on his stomach.

"Sorry Jorgen, but it looks like this battle's mine!" Chiaotzu smirked, until Jorgen started to chuckle himself.

"Not bad... you clever little sneak. Too bad... but when I was on my own... I've learned... one very important thing. I've learned... to go with the pain... no matter... how intense it is!" Jorgen smirked as he stood tall and removed his hands from his stomach as he got into his Wolf Fang Fist position as he added, "Which means I can try this again!"

Then, ignoring the pain, Jorgen charged towards Chiaotzu and yelled, "**WOLF FANG FIST!**" then he kicked Chiaotzu quickly and then he got Chiaotzu with the Wolf Fang Fist, then he knocked him out of bounds with one final blow.

"And there we go! Despite the pain he went through, Jorgen has won the fight and advances to the semifinals along with Luffy and Tarble!" the announcer declared as the audience cheered while Jorgen went over to Chiaotzu and helped him up.

"You okay little buddy?" Jorgen asked with a silly grin on his face.

"Yeah, I had fun with the match." Chiaotzu happily said as he and Jorgen shared a good laugh.

* * *

And the third spot of the semifinals has been taken by Jorgen, and there's only one more quarterfinal match left! Who will take the last spot, Kakarot or Krillin? The fourth and final quarterfinal match between these two friends begins in the next chapter of The X-Pirates!


	16. Krillin VS Kakarot

Previously on The X-Pirates, the East Blue Martial Arts started off with Luffy facing off against Yamcha, and the rubber pirate came out on top using his abilities against Yamcha. Next, Tarble was up against Tien Shinhan and the two of them gave it their all, but Tarble came out on top as well. Finally, there was Jorgen and Chiaotzu, the two of them tried their hardest with a bunch of tricks up Chiaotzu, but despite that, Jorgen won his own spot in the semifinals. Now it's time for the last quarterfinal match between Krillin and Kakarot! Time to find out what happens, today on The X-Pirates!

Krillin VS Kakarot

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the final match of the quarterfinals, these two fighters are very good friends, but they're about to face each other in the same ring! They've even trained under the Turtle Hermit, Master Roshi himself! Let's hear it for Krillin and Kakarot!" the announcer declared as the audience cheered for Krillin and Kakarot who made it to the ring as Krillin sweated a little while Kakarot looked excited for the match to begin.

"Last match, then it's on to the semifinals!" Usopp exclaimed happily.

"Plus Luffy and Tarble will be one step closer to winning that prize money!" Nami added with berri signs replacing her eyes.

"Do you really think it's a good time to celebrate stuff like that? In case you two haven't noticed, it doesn't matter who wins this match! Luffy and Tarble still have to fight each other in the first semifinal match!" Pigero reminded his two friends while Zoro took a good look at Kakarot.

"Not only that, but check out what's behind Kakarot's back." Zoro said as he nodded his head over to Kakarot as Nami, Usopp, and Pigero looked, only to gasp when they looked at Kakarot's tail.

"N-N-No way! T-That's a... A..." Usopp couldn't finish.

"It's a tail!" Nami gasped in shock.

"But that means..." Pigero said while sweating a little.

Zoro nodded with his dark smirk, "Yep, looks like Kakarot is a Saiyan. This should make this tournament even more interesting."

* * *

Krillin and Kakarot got into fighting position as Krillin gulped nervously before he told his opponent, "Kakarot, no matter what happens,we'll always be friends! Don't hold back on me, ya hear!?"

Kakarot grinned and nodded, "You got it Krillin, I don't expect you to hold back either."

"Oh please, even if I went 100% and Kakarot only went halfway, Kakarot would still rip me apart! I still remember the training he went through!" Krillin thought as he started to sweat some more.

"Fighters, you may begin!" the announcer declared as Krillin pulled his arms back and fired energy blasts from his hands at Kakarot who tried his best to dodge the attack, but he found out that they were following him no matter what, so he kept his guard up and took the hits.

Then Krillin flew up after Kakarot as he tried to attack the Saiyan, but he kept dodging the attacks Krillin threw his way before he jabbed Krillin in the stomach.

Then the two of them began to trade punches and kicks in the air very fast but then Kakarot vanished before Krillin's eyes and bashed him on the head, landing them both back into the ring as they faced each other again.

"Wow, this is so amazing! I feel like this could go either way and either Kakarot or Krillin might win the match!" Luffy exclaimed happily while watching the match with Tarble.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Tarble said seriously with his arms crossed as Luffy turned to him in confusion as the Saiyan Pirate continued with, "I sensed both Kakarot and Krillin's power levels and one of them outmatches the other."

"...So Krillin will win easily?" Luffy asked while tilting his head a bit, making Tarble droop his head while sweat dropping.

"No Luffy, I mean Kakarot's power level is higher than Krillin's, that's what will determine the winner of this match. Of course, I'm not surprised, with Kakarot being a Saiyan and all." Tarble said getting his face straight while Krillin tried to attack, but Kakarot kept dodging and blocking Krillin's attacks.

"What do you mean by that?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"Well, me and Kakarot are not that different from each other. Don't forget Luffy, I'm a Saiyan as well." Tarble said while grinning as Krillin and Kakarot kept trying to hit each other, but they kept dodging or blocking the others attacks, but then Krillin got Kakarot with an elbow to the gut, not only making the Saiyan grunt and hold his gut with one arm, but that also made Krillin's elbow a little sore as well.

"Not bad Krillin, you've been training hard." Kakarot commented while Krillin shook his arm a little.

"Damn Kakarot, what's your gut made of?" Krillin grunted a bit, but then he glared as he held his arm up in the air and grunted some more, "Prepare to dodge this if you can! Seriously though, don't let me hit anyone with this!"

Kakarot knew what Krillin was doing as he decided to do the same himself as sharp yellow energy disks appeared above their hands, taking Luffy and the crew by surprise as Kakarot grunted, "Right, we should be careful with this Krillin!"

"What do you guys think they're doing?" Nami asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know, but I've got a bad feeling about this." Usopp said while shaking like a leaf.

"**DESTRUCTO DISK!**" both Kakarot and Krillin shot their energy disks at each other at the same time as they collided, but only one of them shot up into the air and the other was heading towards Luffy and Tarble while the eyes of the Saiyan Prince were the only pair that was wide.

"Ooh, that looks cool!" Luffy commented while holding his hand out to the approaching disk, and Tarble wasn't gonna let that happen.

"LUFFY, DON'T TOUCH IT!" Tarble shouted as he pulled Luffy and himself down and out of the way as the disk flew past them and sliced a little part of the waiting area behind them clean off, shocking the crew while Jorgen, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu groaned and smacked their foreheads.

"That was close." Zoro sighed in relief with a hand on his face while Nami glared at the fighters in the ring.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE AIMING THOSE THINGS! YOU TWO ALMOST SLICED LUFFY'S HEAD CLEAN OFF HIS SHOULDERS DUMB-ASSES!" Nami shouted angrily at Kakarot and Krillin who smiled sheepishly as Tarble and Luffy stood back up.

"Whoa that was so cool!" Luffy yelled in awe.

"You could've been killed Luffy!" Tarble yelled as he glared at his captain a little while Krillin and Kakarot got into a familiar stance.

"Since that wasn't such a good idea..." Kakarot started with a smirk.

"We'll go with this instead." Krillin finished with his own smirk as blue energy formed in the cupped hands.

"**KAMEHAMEHA!**" then they both fired a Kamehameha Wave at each other as they collided with each other as they struggled to overpower each other... actually, it's more like Kakarot was overpowering Krillin's wave with little effort as the wave was pushed back towards Krillin as he skidded back over to the edge of the ring, but then he flew up to safety.

"That was close." Krillin sighed in relief, but as he looked down, he and everyone else saw that Kakarot was nowhere in the ring as Krillin kept his guard up while looking around frantically when he heard Kakarot's voice as he thought, "Calm down Krillin, you've trained for fights like this, just try to follow Kakarot's movements. Even though he's moving so fast, my ears can't keep up."

Then Kakarot appeared in front of Krillin, taking him by surprise, and then Kakarot quickly got into another familiar stance and shouted, "**WOLF FANG FIST!**" then he attacked Krillin with the Wolf Fang Fist, which was a bit more powerful if it's the Saiyan using the move, then he kicked Krillin down as he landed on the grass next to the ring.

"And Krillin is out of bounds! The winner is Kakarot! It looks like not even friendship will slow this fighter down!" the announcer declared as the audience cheered for Kakarot who went to check on Krillin who got back on his feet.

"You did goo out there Krillin, you feeling okay?" Kakarot asked while helping his friend up on the ring.

"Yeah, I'm a bit bummed that I lost to you... again, but I told myself to do my best, and that's what I did." Krillin said as he and Kakarot walked back over to their friends.

* * *

Usopp was in shock at what he saw as he said, "Okay, that proves he's a Saiyan like Tarble. I don't think Kakarot was even trying."

"Looks like this tournament got a little more interesting. Now the tournament is down to one Martial Artist from Earth, a fighter with Devil Fruit powers, and two Saiyans." Pigero said with his arms crossed.

"There you have it folks, all of the spots in the semifinals have been claimed! Which means it's now time to move on to the semifinals!" the announcer declared as the audience cheered.

"We're getting there, and we're one step closer to that sweet prize money! Nothing can spoil my good mood now!" Nami squealed happily.

"In the first match of the semifinals, Luffy will be facing off against Tarble!" the announcer declared and that kinda spoiled Nami's good mood as it threw her and Usopp in for a loop.

"Hold on, Luffy and Tarble have to fight each other!?" Nami and Usopp yelled in shock.

"I TOLD YOU TWO THEY WOULD HAVE TO FIGHT EACH OTHER IN THE SEMIFINALS!" Pigero yelled angrily.

"Well, this'll be a first, even for our crew." Zoro said with his arms crossed and an amused smirk on his face.

"While in the second semifinal match, Jorgen will be fighting Kakarot!" the announcer finished as the audience cheered a little louder.

* * *

After hearing the announcer, Luffy and Tarble turned to face each other, and they were smiling at each other.

"Well Luffy, it looks like it's you and me in the next round." Tarble said while grinning.

"I know, it's so exciting! To be honest, I wanted to have a fight with you ever since we first met!" Luffy said while giggling.

"Same here." Tarble said, then he held a hand out to Luffy and said, "Luffy, let's give it our all, even if we're part of the same pirate crew."

"You got it Tarble!" Luffy shook Tarble's hand before they both grinned and linked arms with each other while Kakarot and his friends smiled at the two pirates.

"Those two must be really close friends." Krillin said with a grin and his arms crossed.

"They seem to put their complete trust in each other." Chiaotzu said with a smile.

"I'm actually looking forward to the match between those two!" Yamcha chuckled with his arms crossed.

"Same here, after all Tarble did beat me in the quarterfinals." Tien agreed while Kakarot kept his eyes on Luffy and Tarble who started to share a friendly laugh with an arm around each others shoulders.

"Somehow, I get the feeling that Tarble didn't land on Earth by accident, perhaps fate wanted him and Luffy to meet." Kakarot thought with a smile, then he turned to Jorgen, held out a hand to him and said, "I'll see you in the second semifinal match Jorgen."

Jorgen grinned as he shook Kakarot's hand and said, "Just don't hold anything back when the time comes Kakarot!"

* * *

The semifinals begin in the next action-packed chapter of The X-Pirates!


	17. Semifinals: Luffy VS Tarble

As the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament kicked off on the last chapter of The X-Pirates, Luffy took Yamcha out with his Devil Fruit powers in the first match. Tarble and Tien gave the crowd quite a fight, but in the end, Tarble was the one who pulled off an impressive victory. Next, Jorgen battled Chiaotzu and won, despite Chiaotzu's unbelievable abilities. And in the last match of the quarterfinals, it was Krillin facing off against his best friend Kakarot, and even though both fighters gave it their all, Kakarot won that match and claims the final spot in the semifinals. And now it's time for the semifinals to begin, and what better way to kick it off than with a fight against two pirates from the same crew?

Semifinals: Luffy VS Tarble

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have finally reached the semifinals of the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament! Let's give a big hand to the four fighters that have made it this far! Luffy, Tarble, Jorgen, and Kakarot! Who among these four amazing fighters will move on to the finals and then move on to become the champion and take home the grand prize of 500,000 berries? Let's begin the semifinals and find out!" the announcer declared as the audience began to cheer for the four fighters.

"Oh man, I can't believe Luffy and Tarble have to fight each other in the first semifinal match! Now who am I supposed to root for?" Usopp groaned with his hands on his head.

"Normally a fight between a pirate captain and his first mate would be considered mutiny, but since this is a tournament, I guess that's not the case for the moment." Pigero said to himself with his arms crossed.

"I think it would never be the case if it's Luffy and Tarble." Zoro said as the other three turned to him as he added, "I've only seen it a few times before I became a member of the crew, but Luffy and Tarble seem to put their complete trust in each other, so knowing them, I have a feeling that they're looking forward to fighting each other in the ring."

"Well no matter who wins, one of them will be one step closer to getting that sweet prize money!" Nami happily said with her eyes closed, but then she looked back at the ring as she thought, "But I just hope Luffy wins."

"You're right about that Zoro. Luffy even trusted Tarble to take down Mercenary Tao for him back in my village for what he did." Usopp agreed with Zoro.

"Sure, Luffy's an amazing fighter with his Gum-Gum powers, but he's never faced a Saiyan like Tarble before, so it could go either way." Pigero said as he and the others waited patiently for the match to begin.

* * *

Meanwhile, Luffy and Tarble were waiting for the announcer to call them up to the ring.

Luffy then turned to Tarble and said, "Tarble, no matter what happens, you'll always be my best friend and first mate."

"Same here Luffy, you'll always be my best friend and captain no matter what." Tarble replied with a grin as they both shared a fist-bump.

"Man, those guys are pretty excited about their match." Yamcha mentioned as he and his friends looked at the two pirates.

"You'd be too, it's not everyday someone gets to fight against their best friend in the ring." Jorgen mentioned.

"I guess, but still I got the chance to fight Kakarot in the ring." Krillin said as Kakarot grinned while standing next to him.

"And now, it's time to get the semifinals of the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament started! At this time, I'd like the two first semifinal fighters come on up to the ring! Let's hear it for Monkey D. Luffy and Tarble!" the announcer declared as the audience cheered for the two pirates.

"It's time." Luffy and Tarble said at the same time while grinning before they walked down the walkway and into the ring, looking around to see many people cheering them on and they also saw their friends smiling at them as well before they faced each other in the ring.

"Good luck guys!" Usopp cheered for his friends, even though he was still a little unsure on who to root for.

"Luffy, just because you're my captain doesn't mean I'm gonna go easy on you!" Tarble smirked as he and Luffy got into fighting position.

Luffy gave off his usual grin, "That's good because I'm not gonna go easy on you, even if you're my first mate!"

"Fighters, you may begin!" the announcer told the two pirates.

"Let's make this the best battle we've ever had!" Luffy suddenly told Tarble.

"You got it Luffy!" Tarble agreed before he disappeared from human sight as Luffy looked confused as he looked around to find the Saiyan Prince.

Then Luffy gasped when Tarble appeared right in front of him with a funny face, then Luffy shook his head a bit before he threw a punch at Tarble who block it with his arm as Tarble tried to attack with a kick, but Luffy blocked it with his knee, then the two of them threw a fast barrage of punches at each other, and then Tarble got knocked back when he got punched in the face by Luffy, but then he flew at Luffy and knocked him back a little further with a punch of his own.

"Nice punch, Tarble!" Luffy commented as he grabbed the sides of the ring with his hands as his arms stretched out as Tarble looked up to see as Luffy said, "But watch out, here I come! **Gum-Gum... ROCKET!**" then Luffy shot himself towards Tarble who just phased out of the way making Luffy slam into the ring, head first while Tarble appeared in the air as he looked down at Luffy with a smile.

"Looks like I better take my power up a notch." Tarble thought as he charged up is power a bit with his usual purple aura glowing around his body as Luffy picked himself up to look up at Tarble who gave his captain a grin as he yelled, "Here I come Luffy!" then he dove down towards Luffy who got his guard up.

Then the two of them began to trade swift and fast punches once again as the announcer told the audience, "Whoa, look at those two fighters go! It just goes to show that not even the friendship these two seem to share won't slow them down!"

"Yep, they've been waiting for this fight for quite a while now." Zoro said with his arms crossed as Luffy was now surrounded by a bunch of Tarble images spinning around him.

"Hey, did Tarble just learn the Afterimage technique?" Krillin asked in confusion.

"Not quite, Saiyans have the ability to do something similar to the Afterimage, but it's still a little different." Kakarot explained as the Tarble copies kept punching Luffy in different directions as Luffy grunted and kept his guard up.

"Come on Luffy, fight back!" Nami yelled as the punching stopped and the Tarble copies circled around Luffy again.

"What's the matter Luffy, am I too fast for ya?" Tarble taunted.

"You got me good with that technique of yours Tarble, but you forgot about this!" Luffy yelled as he got his fists ready for another attack, "**Gum-Gum... GATLING!**" then he threw a barrage of fast punches with his stretched out arms, knocking the Tarble images as they disappeared until he hit the real Tarble in the face pretty hard, sending him flying back as he landed on his feet with a bloody nose.

"You clever sneak." Tarble smirked as he charged towards Luffy who charged back, and with a battle cry from each fighter, they gave each other a good punch to the face causing some blood to drip from the side of their mouths, but Tarble's punch caused Luffy's neck to stretch far, drawing his head back.

"**Gum-Gum Bell!**" Luffy then shot his head towards Tarble for another strike as the Saiyan Prince smirked and grabbed Luffy's head before he could hit, taking the rubber pirate by surprise.

"Nice try Luffy, I've seen you use this attack on Yamcha, but that won't work on me!" Tarble said before he kicked Luffy in the gut making him cough a bit before Tarble tossed him into the sky as he flew after Luffy as he yelled, "Here I come!"

"Oh man, think Luffy, think!" Luffy thought as he began to panic while in the air with Tarble coming up fast, then an idea came to him as he grinned and thought, "Oh, I know!" then he took a deep breath, "**Gum-Gum Balloon!**" and blew himself up like a balloon just as Tarble punched him in the gut and Luffy even had a hard time holding his breath, but he managed to push back and sent Tarble crashing down to the ring before he got out of his Gum-Gum Balloon and landed in the ring next to Tarble who got up and wiped the blood from his nose as Luffy gave off his grin as he taunted, "Bet you didn't see that one coming!"

"Took me by surprise Luffy, I haven't seen you use that after that fight we had with Buggy's pirate crew." Tarble smirked as purple aura kept dancing around his entire body and then he charged towards Luffy again who stretched his leg back.

"**Gum-Gum Whip!**" Luffy threw a stretched out kick that Tarble dodged with a jump and came at Luffy with a kick to the head and then a roundhouse kick to the cheek that sent Luffy flying while his hat flew off his head.

"Luffy!" Nami and Usopp cried out as Luffy thought fast and grabbed part of the ring and stretched a little before he got back to the ring in front of Tarble as Nami and Usopp sighed in relief.

Luffy then felt his head and then he panicked when he felt his hair as he frantically looked around for his hat while asking, "My hat! Where's my hat!? Hat, where are you!?"

"Luffy relax, I have it right here, safe and sound!" Tarble assured while holding up Luffy's straw hat before he placed it back on Luffy's head to calm him down.

Luffy sighed in relief when he felt his hat on his head again, "Thank you Tarble." then he turned to the Saiyan as he said, "Now let's continue the fight!" then the two of them began to trade swift and fast punches once again while the ring began to crack under their feet.

"Is it my imagination or are Luffy and Tarble taking this fight really seriously?" Pigero asked as Luffy began to use his Gum-Gum Gatling again as Tarble tried his best to block the punches and then tried to fight back.

"They don't look like they're having fun." Usopp said while sweating a little.

"Shouldn't we do something to stop them?" Nami asked in concern as cuts and bruises began to show on Luffy and Tarble's bodies.

"No, this is what they want. Both Luffy and Tarble want their first battle to be something they'll never forget." Zoro said with his arms crossed as Luffy and Tarble faced each other once again with a small trail of blood leaving the side of their mouths.

"Tarble, I've gotta say, this battle is turning out to be better than I've expected!" Luffy admitted with his grin.

"Right back at ya Luffy, I'm having so much fun battling you!" Tarble said with his own grin.

"Me too, I wish this battle can last forever!" Luffy said with a giggle.

"Same here, but the audience will get bored and leave, they're here to see more than one fight." Tarble agreed.

"Leave it to those two to keep on battling with smiles on their faces." Tien said with his arms crossed.

"That just proves that they're pirates and best friends." Yamcha added.

"Saiyans love to fight, but only a rare number of them smile like Tarble does. When they do smile, it's just a cold smirk." Kakarot mentioned.

"Well, since they've got a tournament to move on to, I guess it's time to use one last attack on each other!" Luffy suggested with a smirk on his face.

"I couldn't agree more!" Tarble agreed with his own smirk as Luffy suddenly jumped up high into the air with his leg stretched up high into the air while Tarble glowed with his purple aura again while charging up for his Galick Gun.

"Oh boy, it looks like Luffy and Tarble are ready to end it, there's no telling what these fighters are gonna do! Don't blink or you'll miss the action!" the announcer said through his microphone.

"You'll be surprised by this next attack Tarble, I haven't used this one yet! Get ready! **Gum-Gum...**** BATTLEAXE!**" then Luffy brought his stretched out foot down towards Tarble as it hit the ring, breaking a few tiles off it as it got surrounded in a big dust cloud.

"Nice one Luffy!" Nami cheered.

"Wait, what about Tarble!?" Pigero asked as the smoke began to clear up and the only thing they saw was a busted up ring.

"Tarble, where did you go!?" Luffy asked as he began to fall down towards the ring while he looked around for his first mate.

"Right here!" Luffy looked up to see Tarble completely purple with his attack ready, "**GALICK GUUUUUUNN!**" Tarble then fired his Galick Gun at Luffy as he crashed down to the ground next to the ring faster as Tarble landed on the ring.

"And, by pulling off an impressive victory, Tarble wins the first round of the semifinals and moves on to the final match!" the announcer declared as Tarble went over to check on Luffy who just sat up after getting hit by Tarble's Galick Gun.

"Hey, are you okay Captain?" Tarble asked as he held out a hand to Luffy.

Luffy grinned as he took Tarble's hand as the Saiyan Prince helped him up as Luffy said, "I'm better than okay! That was an awesome battle Tarble, with that kind of strength and attacks, you'll become the strongest Saiyan ever no doubt about that!"

"Thanks Luffy, and I have confidence that you'll be King of the Pirates one day, no doubt about that!" Tarble said before he and Luffy laughed happily with an arm around each others shoulders as they began to walk back to the waiting area.

"Now that's true sportsmanship, let's give it up to Luffy and Tarble!" the announcer said as the audience cheered for the two pirates.

"Man, they really had me going there for a second." Usopp sighed in relief.

"Yeah, but at least the two of them had fun with it, that's all that matters." Pigero said with a smile as they watched their two friends walk away laughing happily.

"And now Tarble just has to win the final match and the 500,000 berries will be ours!" Nami said with beri signs for eyes again while Zoro just smirked with his eyes closed.

* * *

Even after the intense fight they had, Luffy and Tarble still had the time of their lives in the battle! Now Tarble moves on to the final match, and to see who he will face in the finals, don't miss the match between Jorgen and Kakarot in the next action-packed chapter of The X-Pirates!


	18. Jorgen VS Kakarot

Two best friends fought against each other on the last chapter of The X-Pirates as Luffy and Tarble faced off in the first semifinal match in the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament. Both fighters gave it their all, but First Mate Tarble was able to defeat Captain Luffy in the match and claims the first spot in the finals. Now it's time for the final semifinal match with Jorgen going up against Kakarot, who will win the final spot in the finals? Find out now!

Jorgen VS Kakarot

"This is it folks, whoever wins this next semifinal match will face off against Tarble in the finals for the 500,000 berries and the title of East Blue Champion! Let's bring them out here, Jorgen and Kakarot!" the announcer declared as the audience cheered loud while Jorgen and Kakarot walked into the ring, grinning.

"This is it guys, whoever wins this match will fight Tarble in the finals!" Usopp said, getting pretty excited about the upcoming match.

"We're getting closer to the end of the tournament, I can smell the money already!" Nami squealed happily with beri signs in place of her eyes.

"I think I already know who will win this match." Zoro thought while looking at Kakarot while Luffy and Tarble took their own spots to watch the match.

"This is gonna be great, you'll be up against either one of them in the finals!" Luffy happily told Tarble with an arm around the Saiyan's shoulders.

"I know, this is gonna be good." Tarble said with a nod, but then he looked at Kakarot and thought, "Even though I already know who will win."

"This is it, get ready Kakarot!" Jorgen said while getting into fighting position.

"I'm giving this everything I've got, you should do the same." Kakarot said getting in his own fighting position while Jorgen nodded his head.

"Fighters, let the match begin!" the announcer declared as Kakarot and Jorgen charged towards each other and traded fast punches and kicks to each other right away.

"Whoa, look at them go!" Krillin commented as Jorgen and Kakarot began to slowly rise in the air as they kept punching and kicking.

"Yeah, they're really going at it." Yamcha added as Jorgen and Kakarot stopped to face each other in the air.

"Nice one Jorgen. Now, try this!" Kakarot said as he got into his Kamehameha stance.

"Right back at ya my friend!" Jorgen replied as he got into Kamehameha stance as well.

"**Ka-me-ha-me-HAAAA!**" Both Kakarot and Jorgen fired their Kamehameha Waves at each other as they collided and then exploded in the air and then Jorgen and Kakarot flew in the smoke cloud to punch and kick each other once again.

Then Kakarot vanished from Jorgen's sight and got him from behind with a kick as Jorgen landed in the ring on his feet as did Kakarot as Jorgen smirked, "You sneaky Saiyan, let's see how you fair against my Wolf Fang Fist?" he got into his Wolf Fang Fist stance.

"In that case, I'll use my own." Kakarot said as he got into his own Wolf Fang Fist stance, then they charged towards each other like a couple of wolves charging towards each other.

"**WOLF FANG FIST!**" then Jorgen and Kakarot began to hit each other using their Wolf Fang Fist attacks, actually giving each other some small cuts and scratches on their bodies.

"I've never seen two people use the Wolf Fang Fist on each other before." Chiaotzu mentioned as Jorgen and Kakarot got each other good in the faces.

"It's a first for me as well." Yamcha added with his arms crossed.

"This is history in the making." Tien added as Jorgen and Kakarot faced each other again before they disappeared from human sight.

"Oh man, for once I'd like to see a normal fight!" Usopp complained as they heard punching, kicking, and the sound of Jorgen and Kakarot grunting as the crew tired to look around for the two fighters.

"Man, they're confusing me! Where are they!?" Luffy yelled with his hands on top of his hat.

"Calm down Luffy, they'll appear again." Tarble assured as Jorgen and Kakarot appeared and from the looks of things, Jorgen was the only one panting while Kakarot looked like he could keep going.

"What's wrong Jorgen? Running out of steam?" Kakarot taunted.

Jorgen scoffed as he wiped some sweat off his forehead, "No way, I've still got some energy left Kakarot! You won't stop me with this!" but as he slowly charged up for a Destructo Disk, Kakarot appeared in front of him and punched him in the gut so hard, that he actually hit his back against the brick wall in front of Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero who gasped as Jorgen landed on the grass, then he blinked and said, "What do you know? He stopped me."

"That's it, Jorgen is out of the ring! The winner is Kakarot! Not even friendship will slow him down, now Kakarot moves on to the Finals where he'll face off against Tarble for the champion title and the 500,000 berries!" the announcer declared as the audience cheered for Kakarot who went over to help Jorgen up.

Jorgen then laughed happily, "You got me buddy! Congratulations!"

"Thanks Jorgen, sorry I had to do that, but it's a fight." Kakarot said as they walked back over to the other fighters.

Jorgen just shrugged, "Eh, it happens. Besides, I had the feeling you'd win the fight, but I told myself to do my best and that's what I did. Anyway, you should probably focus on your upcoming battle against him." he pointed his thumb at Tarble as Kakarot and Tarble looked each other in the eyes seriously.

"Tarble." Kakarot thought seriously.

"Kakarot." Tarble thought seriously as the two Saiyans kept looking at each other as Tarble then thought, "This is it, a fight against a fellow Saiyan. I've got to give it everything I've got."

"Looks like I'll have to fight against the Prince of Saiyans if I want to be the champion." Kakarot thought seriously as both Saiyans began to glare at each other as they both thought, "It's all or nothing!"

* * *

The Semifinals have finally came to the end and the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament moves on to the Finals with the last two fighters, Tarble and Kakarot! Two Saiyans will clash against each other in the ring, but only one of them will come out on top as East Blue Champion with the 500,000 beri cash prize! Who will come out on top in a heated Saiyan battle? Find out as the Finals kick off in the next chapter of The X-Pirates!


	19. Battle of the Saiyans

Previously on The X-Pirates, Jorgen and Kakarot faced off against each other in the final Semifinal match. Despite Jorgen's finest effort, Kakarot still managed to come out on top. Now it's on to the Finals where Tarble and Kakarot will face off against each other for the 500,000 Berri cash prize and the title of East Blue Martial Arts Champion! It's a clash between two Saiyans, and no one knows what to expect!

Battle of the Saiyans

"We have finally reached the Finals with only two fighters still in the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament! We'll be taking a ten minute intermission while Kakarot and Tarble get ready for the final match, so feel free to walk around the area before the fight begins!" the announcer declared as Luffy and Tarble met up with Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero.

"This is great, our crew is one step closer to winning the tournament! After this, it's off to the Grand Line!" Luffy said happily while Tarble was doing some stretches.

"Not to mention the 500,000 Berri cash prize!" Nami added with Berri signs in place of her eyes once again, but then her eyes changed back as she glared at Tarble and yelled, "So you better not lose Tarble!"

"It won't be an easy match for me, I know. It's been a while since I fought another Saiyan, the last time I did fight a Saiyan was when I was a child, but that was years ago, and there's no telling what Kakarot is capable of. But once I defeat him, I'll be one step closer to becoming the strongest Saiyan ever." Tarble thought seriously as he kept on stretching, ignoring what Nami said to him.

Nami blinked at the Saiyan Prince before she yelled, "Hey, are you even listening to me!?"

"I guess Tarble's too focused on his upcoming match with Kakarot." Pigero guessed while sweat dropping.

"I'm not surprised, not only is that Kakarot guy strong, but he's also a Saiyan like Tarble, there's no telling what could happen." Usopp shrugged.

"Just don't expect me to go easy on you." another voice got their attention as the six pirates turned to see Kakarot, Jorgen, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu walking over to them.

Yamcha and Zoro then looked at each other in the eye as they said, "Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro./Yamcha the Desert Bandit."

"I take it that's the rest of your crew?" Jorgen asked Luffy while looking at Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero.

"For the moment, but we'll add more members soon enough." Luffy grinned while Kakarot and Tarble kept looking at each other seriously while the others were sensing the tension building up between the two Saiyans.

Then Kakarot gave Tarble a grin and said, "Looks like it's a battle between two Saiyans."

Tarble nodded, "Right, and one step closer to my goal."

Kakarot then looked serious as he thought, "He seems pretty confident of his skills, he's about to get more than just a match in that ring."

"Uh, Kakarot?" Krillin asked carefully.

"Tarble, you okay?" Usopp asked carefully before they heard another noise.

"Attention, would contestants Tarble and Kakarot please report to the arena? The final match of the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament is about to begin!" the person on the intercom said telling the twelve of them that it's time for the final match.

"It's time." Tarble and Kakarot said seriously and in unison before they dashed off to the arena and out of human sight.

"Hey, wait for us!" Luffy yelled as he and the other nine ran to watch the fight between the two Saiyans.

* * *

Soon everyone who came to watch the tournament came back as the sun was now beginning to set while Tarble and Kakarot were facing each other in the ring with Luffy, the other four members of his pirate crew, that he suddenly decided to call the Straw Hat Pirates, and Kakarot's five friends got a good spot to see the fight between two Saiyan warriors.

"This is it ladies and gentlemen, we have finally reached the final match of the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament! The winner of this match will not only get the 500,000 Berri cash prize, but also the title of East Blue Martial Arts Champion! Who will win it all, Tarble or Kakarot?" the announcer declared as the audience cheered for the two Saiyans while Kakarot kept a serious gaze on Tarble who was stretching and getting himself ready.

"Tarble seems like a strong fighter, but he's still got so much to learn. His training isn't complete yet." Kakarot thought seriously, then he suddenly said, "Tarble, come at me with everything you've got! Don't hold anything back!"

Tarble blinked before he nodded and said, "I'll do just that, prepare yourself Kakarot!" then he and Kakarot both got into fighting position.

"I can see that our two fighters are ready, so without further ado, let the final match of the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament begin!" the announcer declared with Luffy, Nami, Usopp, Pigero, and even Zoro cheering for Tarble while Krillin, Yamcha, Jorgen, Tien, and Chiaotzu cheered for Kakarot.

Then both Saiyans began to grunt as they build up power, then the grunting turned to yelling as sparks of energy began to dance around their bodies, Kakarot's were blue and Tarble's were purple as the yelling got louder while the ring started to crack under their feet as more energy sparks danced around them.

Then Tarble and Kakarot charged towards each other each in a barrier made of their own energy sparks before they shot up into the air and began to trade fast and powerful punches and kicks to each other.

"Yeah, go Tarble, go! It's in the bag buddy!" Luffy cheered as Tarble tried to kick Kakarot, but the Saiyan vanished from human sight as Tarble vanished as well.

"Oh come on, anymore of this disappearing routine and I'll be dizzy as hell!" Usopp complained with his hands on his head.

"Well, if a fighter like Tarble's staying with you, you'll have to get used to stuff like this happening." Jorgen mentioned just before they heard Tarble grunt as they looked up to see that Kakarot gave Tarble a good kick to the gut, and then Kakarot got ready for his next attack, "**WOLF FANG FIST!**" then he attacked Tarble multiple times with his Wolf Fang Fist while the Saiyan Prince tried his best to block the attacks, but he still got hit in the face when Kakarot wrapped up his Wolf Fang Fist attack and went flying away.

"Yeah, way to go Kakarot!" Krillin cheered for his best pal before Tarble appeared in front of Kakarot while making a silly face before he gave Kakarot a roundhouse kick, making him fly a little away from Tarble.

"I see you got your silly side from hanging around your friend." Kakarot told his opponent while wiping away the little bit of blood that was on the side of his mouth.

"Well, that's what happens when you have such good friends like Luffy and Usopp." Tarble said with a grin but then the two Saiyans fired energy balls at each other until they were inside a great big smoke cloud.

"What an amazing fight! Neither Kakarot or Tarble are letting anything up, this is the fight of the century here folks!" the announcer said through the microphone with the audience cheering as Tarble and Kakarot were looking at each other while floating in the smoke cloud.

"Come on Tarble, step up your game! You're not gonna win like this!" Kakarot yelled seriously making Tarble frown as he made a determined fist.

"I've beaten guys like Buggy and Mercenary Tao, I can take you on! I'll win this and get closer to becoming the strongest Saiyan ever!" Tarble declared seriously.

"Let's see if you can still say that after this!" Kakarot yelled as he cupped his hands together for a Kamehameha Wave, "**Ka-me-**"

"Okay, you want to play that way? Fine, bring it!" Tarble yelled as he got ready to use his Galick Gun as he glowed purple with purple energy in his hands.

"**Ha-me-**" blue energy formed in Kakarot's cupped hands as the energy in both Saiyans hands grew bigger and bigger, "**HAAAAA!**" then Kakarot fired a powerful Kamehameha Wave at Tarble.

"**GALICK GUUUUUUUN!**" Tarble fired a powerful Galick Gun as the two attacks got caught in a beam struggle that cleared up the smoke cloud right away, making the audience gasp as the two Saiyans kept up the beam struggle while grunting.

"Whoa, check it out!" Nami gasped as Kakarot's Kamehameha Wave started to slowly overpower Tarble's Galick Gun.

"Now this is a fight!" Zoro smirked.

"Yeah, don't let up Kakarot!" Krillin and Jorgen cheered as the Kamehameha Wave kept slowly overpowering the Galick Gun.

"COME ON TARBLE, PUSH BACK!" Luffy shouted to his Saiyan friend.

The Kamehameha Wave was getting closer to Tarble as he looked at it and grunted, "No... You... DOOOONNN'T!" then he yelled and powered up his Galick Gun that easily pushed back the Kamehameha Wave until Kakarot was engulfed in the Galick Gun attack as he grunted in pain while the audience and the announcer shielded their eyes from the blinding light.

* * *

When the light dimmed a little, everyone in the audience saw that Tarble was panting after using a powerful Galick Gun like that and they didn't see Kakarot at all, just a smoke cloud where Kakarot was floating.

"KAKAROT!" Krillin, Yamcha, and Jorgen yelled for their friend while Tien and Chiaotzu were left speechless.

"Yeah, way to go Tarble!" Luffy, Nami, and Usopp cheered while Zoro smirked and Pigero couldn't stop blinking.

Tarble grinned again as he asked, "How did ya like that?"

"**DESTRUCTO DISK!**" Kakarot's voice yelled out before a sharp energy disk came flying out of the smoke cloud, making Tarble gasp as he dodged the disk, but then several more came flying out of the cloud at the Saiyan Prince who yelped and tried his best to dodge the disks, but a couple still sliced up his jumpsuit in some places and gave him a couple of cuts on his arms, chest, legs, and face.

Then the barrage of Destructo Disks stopped as the smoke cleared to see that Kakarot's fighting gi was torn from Tarble's Galick Gun and Kakarot also had some burn marks on his body and he looked quite serious as did Tarble as blood began to leak out of the cuts Tarble got from the Destructo Disks, then the two Saiyans let out a battle cry before they charged towards each other again and went back to trading fast and powerful punches and kicks to each other before they disappeared once again.

"They're really taking this fight seriously, aren't they?" Chiaotzu asked as they heard the sound punching, kicking, and also Tarble and Kakarot grunting.

"If it's a fight between two Saiyan warriors like those two, I'm not surprised." Jorgen answered with his arms crossed.

"Tarble, win this thing! 500,000 Berries are on the line here!" Nami yelled just before Kakarot and Tarble reappeared in the ring and both of them had some bruises on their body and some more blood coming out of their mouths and Tarble's cuts while the two Saiyans began to pant.

"You've got this Kakarot, win this!/Come on Tarble, show him what you can do!" Krillin and Usopp cheered for their friends before they glared at each other.

"Tarble, you'll become the strongest Saiyan ever! Don't let anything get in your way, redeem the Saiyan name!" Luffy cheered as Tarble got ready for some more.

"I don't believe it, Tarble's really strong! I haven't gotten this excited about anything in a while, I don't know how much more of this I can keep up." Kakarot thought, then he looked up at the sky and saw how orange it was and thought, "Uh-oh, the Moon will pop up at any minute, and it's supposed to be a Full Moon tonight! I've gotta put an end to this before me or Tarble look at the Full Moon! Too bad, I didn't want to have to do this, but it must be done... To show Tarble what to expect on his way to become a Super Saiyan."

"Come on Kakarot, let's keep going! I've just caught my second wind and it's lowing like a hurricane!" Tarble said getting into fighting position once again.

Kakarot suddenly got out of his fighting position with a serious look on his face as he said, "Too bad Tarble, but it's time to show you something I haven't done in a while, something that will win me this match." then he yelled as he charged up power once again as wind began to blow in different directions.

"What's going on!?" Zoro yelled through the wind, even Kakarot's friends didn't exactly know what's going on.

With one final yell, Kakarot was now surrounded by a yellowish aura with his hair and tail looking a little reddish, his skin looked a little yellow as well, and his eye pupils disappeared, leaving his eyes only white while everyone else gasped at what just happened to Kakarot.

"Whoa, that's so awesome!" Luffy yelled with stars in his eyes.

"K-K-K-Kakarot, what just happened to you!? What did you do!?" Tarble asked in shock while Kakarot turned to look at him.

"I should tell you, this isn't the first time I've changed into this form. The only other time I've changed into this was against a Namekian named Slug... In the Grand Line!" Kakarot said seriously, receiving shocked gasps from Tarble, the other five pirates, and also Kakarot's friends.

"Kakarot's been to the Grand Line before and came back here to the East Blue alive!?" Nami yelled in shock.

"Why didn't he tell us!?" Krillin yelled.

"You've been to the Grand Line before?" Tarble asked as Kakarot just nodded in his mysterious form while holding his arms up.

"And now, I'll show you a different technique I've learned from my teacher, Master Roshi. This is a technique that he, himself, used only once against my Grandfather, a great warrior named Gohan! I know this because Master Roshi told me himself!" kakarot grunted as began to charged up for his next attack as lightning began to cover up his hands as Tarble prepared himself while Krillin, Yamcha, and Jorgen began to sweat a little.

"A technique that Master Roshi used only once?" Pigero asked himself while thinking back.

"You guys don't think he would use THAT technique, would he?" Yamcha asked Jorgen and Krillin until their eyes widened in realization.

"Don't man, don't!" Jorgen suddenly yelled to Kakarot.

"Kakarot, stop! What are you doing!? You're going too far!" Krillin yelled, but Kakarot didn't cancel his next attack as electricity began to dance around his body and the fur on his tail began to stand up as well.

"**LIGHTNING... FLASH... SURPRISE ATTACK!**" then Kakarot shot his attack at a surprised Tarble who got caught in a ball of electricity and it looked like he was getting shocked with his hair and tail fur standing funny while the Saiyan Prince began to yell in pain.

"TARBLE!" Luffy, Nami, and Usopp yelled for their friend.

"What the hell is Kakarot even using!?" Zoro yelled angrily.

"It's the Lightning Flash Surprise Attack, it's a technique that turns the energy in a persons body into multiple volts of electricity! Not many people can stand that!" Yamcha explained making Pigero gasp.

"Now I remember, Tarble's in trouble now!" Pigero yelled as they heard Tarble yell in pain.

"Say that you surrender! You'll die if you don't!" Kakarot yelled to the Saiyan he was shocking.

"N-No... I've come... Too far... To give up now!" Tarble grunted as he kept getting shocked.

Kakarot growled looking pretty angry, "Damn it Tarble, there's no time for you to be stubborn when your life is on the line!" then he gave his Lightning Flash Surprise a little boost, making Tarble yell in pain again.

"Tarble, he's not kidding, that attack will cost you your life if you keep going like this!" Tien yelled seriously.

"Forfeit the match!/Save yourself!" Chiaotzu and Jorgen yelled to the Saiyan Prince.

"I... I can't! My goal... Is on the line!" Tarble grunted.

"Don't make me add more power to this attack Tarble!" Kakarot grunted as he powered his attack up just a little more making Tarble grunt again.

Luffy was watching in concern, then he yelled out, "Give it up Tarble! I know you want to be the strongest Saiyan ever, but I still want you to be alive for that to happen one day!"

"But... Nami will be... Angry that we didn't... Win the prize money!" Tarble grunted as Nami bit her lip a bit.

"Just give up already, it's not worth it!" Nami suddenly yelled surprising those around her, but they shook it off for their Saiyan friend.

"That's enough Tarble, I can understand throwing your life on the line for your goal, but this is going way too far!" Zoro yelled.

"You did your best and that's all that matters Tarble, give up the match!" Pigero yelled.

"Throw in the towel Tarble, we need you in our crew!" Usopp yelled even with his legs shaking as Tarble just kept grunting, not saying anything else.

"Tarble, listen to us! Give up now! CAPTAIN'S ORDERS!" Luffy shouted with a couple of small tears leaving his eyes.

Finally, Tarble told his opponent and friends, "Okay... I'll say it!"

"Good, don't be afraid to admit defeat Tarble! Not even my Grandpa could withstand this from Master Roshi for this long!" Kakarot called out to the Saiyan Prince before he thought to himself, "I'm sorry it had to come to this Tarble, but this is for your own good."

Tarble was still being shocked as he tried to say he surrenders with his friends and crew of the Straw Hat Pirates calling out to him, along with Kakarot's friends, but as he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the Full Moon that was now in the sky as he stopped grunting all together as he kept looking at the Full Moon as his eye pupils turned pink.

"Tarble, what are you waiting for!? Say that it's over already!" Luffy yelled to his best friend.

Kakarot looked up at Tarble just as the Saiyan Prince yelled again, and then growled as his eyes changed from snow white to blood red and he grew sharp fangs and he got a little bulkier, that made Kakarot's eyes widen as he yelled, "No, I'm too late!" that was enough to get him to cancel his Lightning Flash Surprise as Tarble landed in the ring and began to get bulkier with brown fur, that matched his tail, growing on his body while his nose and mouth stretched out into a snout, and his blue jumpsuit stretched along with the body.

"Oh no, not again!" Krillin said quietly with his eyes wide along with Yamcha, Jorgen, Tien, and Chiaotzu as they and the Straw Hat Pirates saw that Tarble changed into a Great Ape, still in the blue jumpsuit.

"Tarble, what are you doing!?" Usopp and Nami yelled as the Great Ape roared.

"I don't believe this folks! The skilled fighter Tarble just turned himself into a gigantic ape! I've never even heard of this technique!" the announcer yelled in shock as Great Ape Tarble shot a beam out his mouth as it hit somewhere away from Emerald Island, then the Great Ape began to wreck the whole area around him, making the audience run away for their lives until the only ones left were the Straw Hat Pirates, Kakarot, his friends, the announcer, and Great Ape Tarble.

"Tarble, come on buddy, I understand that you're trying to become the strongest Saiyan ever, but you're taking it too far now!" Luffy yelled, but Great Ape Tarble just smashed another piece of the arena as Luffy and Zoro jumped out of the way from a boulder that was coming their way.

"There's no use trying to talk to him Luffy, I don't think Tarble can even hear us!" Zoro yelled with Usopp and Nami hiding behind Pigero in fear.

"You've got that right, Kakarot changed into an ape like that before and he wouldn't even listen to us!" Krillin yelled as he and the other four fighters ran over to them while Kakarot was punching and kicking Great Ape Tarble to keep him from destroying the entire island.

"Right now, Tarble's just a giant killer ape with a sweet tooth for tearing peoples limbs off!" Yamcha added while Tarble fired another beam from his mouth at Kakarot who dodged the attack, still in his mysterious form.

"Isn't there anything we can do to change him back?" Pigero asked while sweating a little.

"We know way, if we cut off his tail then he'll change back to normal." Tien answered seriously.

"That's it? Just cut off the tail?" Usopp asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No one is cutting off Tarble's tail!" Luffy suddenly yelled to the others.

"But Luffy that seems to be the only way to stop Tarble's rampage! You seriously gonna stand there and tell us not to cut off that stupid tail!?" Nami yelled angrily.

"Don't call his tail stupid! When we first met, Tarble told me that Saiyans take great pride in having their tails behind their backs! Plus, he tried to protect my hat from that clown! If anyone dares try to cut off Tarble's tail, then I'll stop them and protect Tarble's tail!" Luffy said seriously.

"But how can we change him back without cutting off his tail? Kakarot can't keep this up any longer, even in that new form of his!" Chiaotzu said as they looked to see Kakarot starting to slow down a bit as Great Ape Tarble tried to get him.

Then something suddenly came to Nami as she yelled out, "I got it! We'll knock him out with these!" then she pulled out six darts from her pocket.

"How did you get those tranquilizer darts?" Jorgen asked with a raised eyebrow while pointing at the darts.

Nami smirked, "I happen to be a skilled thief who steals from pirates, and my time with these guys is only temporary."

"Even with those darts, it's gonna be hard to try and get that big guy right away!" Krillin yelled.

"Usopp can hit him with no problem." Luffy mentioned as everyone turned to the long nosed teen who was now shaking like a leaf.

"Oh come on, why does it have to be me!?" Usopp complained.

"You told us you want to become a brave warrior of the sea, right? This is your big chance by saving Emerald Island." Zoro said seriously with his arms crossed.

"I can't, I think I'm coming down with Great-Ape-will-squish-me syndrome!" Usopp lied while pulling off a fake cough, but the others weren't buying it.

"Usopp, this is your big chance to prove to Kaya that you can be brave!" Nami yelled while holding all six tranquilizers to Usopp.

"Usopp, we're asking you as friends, please?" Luffy said silently, and that was enough to get Usopp to change his mind.

"Okay, give me those tranquilizer darts, this ape is going to dreamland!" Usopp declared as Nami handed him the darts while he aimed his slingshot at Great Ape Tarble who tried to squish Kakarot who was holding a big hand in place, then Usopp yelled, "Sleep tight Tarble! **Special Attack: TRANQUILIZER STAR!**" then he fired the six tranquilizer darts at Great Ape Tarble, hitting him in different spots of his body, one even got him by the tail as the Great Ape suddenly began to groan before he let Kakarot go and landed on his back, out of bounds of the ring.

The announcer saw the ape sleeping and Kakarot still in the ring, so he suddenly declared, "I'm not sure what just happened, but Tarble is out of the ring and knocked out! That means the winner of the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament is Kakarot!"

Kakarot changed back to his original form and sighed in relief, then he cheered, "Yeah, I won!"

"So much for the prize." Zoro sighed even though he didn't really care.

"Uh, sorry Nami." Luffy apologized.

"I'm just glad Tarble calmed down and no one got seriously hurt." Nami assured, but then she yelled in Luffy's face, "But don't let it happen again!"

Pigero then saw something happening and called to the others, "Look! Tarble's changing back!" that's when the others looked to see that Tarble was shrinking and changing back to his original form while the Saiyan Prince was still knocked out from the tranquilizer darts.

* * *

Later that night, Tarble was starting to wake up as he saw that he had some bandages wrapped around his wounds and they also saw Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirate crew sleeping next to him.

"I thought I was fighting in the tournament, what am I doing here?" Tarble asked in confusion, but then Luffy and the others woke up after hearing him, well except for Zoro.

"Good to see that you're awake, you really had us worried." Usopp told the Saiyan Prince.

"What did I do?" Tarble asked in confusion.

"Don't you remember? You suddenly turned into a giant ape after looking at the Full Moon and began to tear the place apart." Luffy answered as Tarble's eyes widened in shock.

"I WHAT!?" Tarble yelled, waking Zoro up a little as Tarble got up and ran outside and saw the damage done to the tournament arena, making him gasp, "Oh no, not again!"

"Again? This has happened before?" Pigero asked in confusion.

"Tarble, what's going on?" Zoro asked with his arms crossed.

Tarble sighed, "Sorry guys, I forgot to tell you that I can't look at a Full Moon. Saiyans like me and Kakarot change into Great Apes only if we have our tails and only if we look at a Full Moon. Some Saiyans were able to control it, while others didn't."

"Well now we know to make sure you don't look at the Full Moon ever again." Usopp chuckled a little.

"I can't seem to remember what happened after Kakarot got me with his attack." Tarble told the crew.

"Kakarot won the tournament, and also the prize money!" Nami said with despair about not getting 500,000 Berries.

"Yeah, but I think it might be best if your crew had the prize money!" the six pirates turned to see Kakarot walk over to them with a sack with the 500,000 Berries in it as he added, "I wouldn't even know what to do with it anyway."

Nami took the bag right away and hugged it as she said, "Oh thank you, that's so thoughtful of you!"

"I'm still glad we came. Come on, let's get on the Going Merry for a good night sleep." Luffy told his crew who nodded and began to walk away.

But as Tarble began to walk away, Kakarot stopped him by saying, "Hold on Tarble, stay for a little bit and talk." Tarble was taken by surprise but he decided to stay and hear what Kakarot had to say and this is what Kakarot told the Saiyan Prince, "You really pulled a good fight Tarble, but to be honest... You're seriously lacking power."

Tarble was offended by what Kakarot said, so he argued with, "Hey, I got stronger fighting against Buggy the Clown, Mercenary Tao, and other enemies during my adventure so far!"

Kakarot still looked serious as he said, "And that's an achievement, but the problem is characters like Tao and Buggy are considered small fries outside the East Blue, their bounty is average for East Blue standards, but outside they're WAY outclassed by fighters in the Grad Line like a swordsman named Hawkeye Mihawk, a man named Crocodile, and a great pirate captain named Whitebeard. Guys like them could beat you and your friends in the blink of an eye and probably with only 2% of their strength."

Tarble was listening to Kakarot's words and now he was beginning to doubt his skills and power a little as he silently said, "They're that strong?"

Kakarot nodded, then he smiled at Tarble and said, "Tarble, you've still accomplished something so far in your travels as a Straw Hat Pirate, but in order to face the Grand Line, you need to get stronger because the Grand Line will have things far more powerful than any Saiyan could be."

Tarble didn't say anything, only nodded, still kinda doubting himself, then Kakarot pulled out a little brown bag from his pocket as he said, "Tarble, there's something I want you to look at." as Tarble turned to look at him Kakarot showed the Saiyan Prince what was in his hand, an orange ball with four red stars on it.

"What's that?" Tarble asked while pointing at the ball.

"I don't really know, you see, when I was a child, I changed into a Great Ape myself and unknowingly killed my Grandpa Gohan. Before he died, he gave me this glass ball for good luck, this ball is the only thing I have left to remember my Grandpa. I took this with me to the Grand Line, but a Namekian named Slug took it from me, and it took me a year to find it again after I defeated Slug, but it was worth it. This ball is my most prized possession." Kakarot explained while Tarble looked sad, then Kakarot suddenly placed the orange ball in Tarble's hands as he continued with, "And I'm giving it to you."

"But I don't understand, you said that this is your prized possession, the only thing to remember your Grandpa by." Tarble said while holding up the ball.

"You said you want to be a strong Saiyan, to be a Super Saiyan, then that ball will also act as a good luck charm. I want you to hold on to it for me Tarble, and only give it back when you become a true Saiyan Prince... No, a true Saiyan King! That will be our promise to each other Tarble, train hard to fulfill your dream. See ya!" Kakarot then waved goodbye with a silly grin on his face before he flew off to find his friends, leaving Tarble who was just standing there while looking at the orange ball Kakarot left with him, still kinda doubting himself as a small tear landed on the ball.

"Tarble, come on, let's go!" Tarble heard Luffy call to him, so he used his energy to make another set of Saiyan armor for himself while fixing up his jumpsuit before he placed the ball in his pocket and flew off to where he heard Luffy's voice.

* * *

And so, the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament has drawn to a close with Kakarot as the champion, even though he gave the Straw Hat Pirates the prize money and Tarble some advice and an orange ball with four red stars on it. The tournament may be over, but the adventures of Tarble, Luffy, and the Straw Hat Pirates still continues next time on The X-Pirates!


	20. The Peril of the Mountain Hunter

Last time on The X-Pirates, Tarble and Kakarot fought with everything they had in the final match of the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament. Then Kakarot went through some sort of change in order to win the tournament, but then Tarble went through a transformation of his own. After looking at the Full Moon, Tarble transformed into a Great Ape and began to tear the whole place apart, until Usopp knocked him out with some tranquilizer darts he got from Nami, and the Saiyan Prince changed back to normal while Kakarot was named the East Blue Martial Arts Champion. Later, Kakarot met up with the Straw Hat Pirates again, gave them the prize money, then he gave Tarble some advice for when he enters the Grand Line with his friends. Just before Kakarot left, he gave Tarble something for good luck, an orange ball with four red stars on it. Now, we rejoin the Straw Hat Pirates as they sail away from Emerald Island with Tarble now doubting his own abilities.

The Peril of the Monster Hunter

As the Going Merry sailed the sea, Tarble was sitting on the ship's crow nest while looking at the orange ball Kakarot gave him. Ever since the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament ended he had been pondering. After beating the likes of Buggy, Kuro, and Mercenary Tao, along with many other dangers on their journey, he had been quite sure of his power, but after what Kakarot said, he felt like he got a rock thrown in the head.

He didn't like having this doubt in himself, but he couldn't disagree with Kakarot. He remembered his Father telling him stories of all kinds of dangers when he was younger, but now a lot of those stories were becoming real and he realized that in order to face them, he couldn't keep relying on his current skills.

He sighed as he slumped on the stand behind him.

"OY Tarble!" Luffy screamed on the ship's deck.

Tarble got out of his daydream and looked down at Luffy from the mast, "What is it, Luffy?" he asked.

Luffy's stomach was growling, "Tarble, I'm hungry, do you see any islands anywhere?"

Then Luffy was whacked on the head by Nami who told him, "Luffy, don't be such a pig. We need to save the money we have before spending it on something expendable like food."

But Luffy winched, "But I'm hungry now!"

"You know he's kind of right about stopping." Zoro said as he was getting up from his nap.

Pigero nodded as he and Usopp were walking down the steps, "I mean we could do with some booze."

Nami rolled her eyes, "Guys and their lager." She sighed, "Fine, but you guys have to make up for the money we spend."

"Deal!" the other crew members agreed with her.

Tarble began scouting the sea to see if an island was anywhere near them. After looking for five minutes he soon saw one and shouted, "Everyone I see a nice village island close by! Usopp, the Merry North!"

Soon the Going Merry was coming closer to its destination as it was moving through the sea.

* * *

They soon docked on a small island. It was a small mountain village with a few cottages on the island next to a big mountain in the distance. The houses looked nice enough and the landscapes were similar to Usopp's village.

The crew of six slowly got off the Going Merry into the village. Luffy was running straight into the village looking around the area with excitement in his eyes, "Guys, this place looks excellent, there's so many bars."

Pigero smiled, "Great, time to get some booze."

"Wait!" the crew stopped. They turned around to see an old man with a stick and a white beard, "Pirates can't stay here." he warned.

"And why not?" Tarble asked.

"Because they get killed by the Mountain Hunter." the old man warned.

"Eh who?" Usopp asked.

"The Mountain Hunter." the old man explained, "He's a bounty hunter that came out of nowhere and lives in the mountain. You see, back in the day this town was always welcomed to pirates."

"Oh I get it. This place was a pirate stop off." Zoro replied.

The old man nodded, "Yep, we've had some of the best pirates come here Buggy, Don Krieg, and even once Red-Haired Shanks."

"Shanks was here!?" Luffy screamed with joy knowing that his hero was in the area.

The old man nodded, "Yep, but thanks to that hunter, all the pirates got scared off from this place."

"He can't be that bad." Usopp replied.

The old man shook his head, "Oh believe me it can be worse. We have evidence that he isn't a Devil Fruit user however he uses techniques that would make you think he was."

"What kind of techniques are you talking about?" Pigero asked.

The old man sighed, "I don't know myself, but once we got a survivor from a clash with the Mountain Hunter. He died quickly but one of the last things he said was 'Galick Gun'."

Tarble became stone cold after hearing that from the old man. How could this be possible, someone in the world knew the Galick Gun move but only first class Saiyans knew that move? How could this Mountain Hunter know this move?

The old man sighed, "It's made business here bad. If only someone could beat him then the town would be able to regain its business."

Nami was putting her finger on her chin, thinking, "How thankful would you be to the people who saved your town?" she asked.

"We would be so grateful that we would give them 10% of the town's profit every month." the old man said as he looked at the mountain's cave.

Berri signs clicked into Nami's eyes, "Alright, you got yourself a deal, we'll help your village."

Luffy's eyes widened, "Nami that's so nice of you."

"And you too Luffy since you, Usopp, and Tarble are coming with me." Nami replied.

"What!?" all three of them yelled.

Usopp shivered, "But what about Pigero and Zoro, how come they can't come!?" he demanded.

Nami sighed, "If this guy uses moves like Tarble then Zoro and Pigero would be at a disadvantage since their fighting styles causes them to rely on the ground which is a massive trump card for ki users. Luffy's rubber powers allows him to absorb heat and Tarble would be on even ground with this guy." Nami explained.

Usopp was still shouting, "Then how come I have to go!?"

Nami smirked, "Well you told Kaya you wanted to become a pirate warrior, now's your chance."

Usopp sighed in defeat, "Fine, I'll go with you."

Zoro nodded, "Good enough for me. It's drinking time, come on Pigero." Soon the two pirates entered the bar while the remaining four began to walk to the mountain.

* * *

The bar Zoro and Pigero walked into was quite a basic one, a counter some nice music with chairs, it was an okay place to get a drink.

Soon the two pirates took a seat next to the counter, "Do you think we should have gone with them?" Pigero asked.

Zoro shook his head, "If Nami says we're not needed then that's good enough for me. Besides they got Luffy and Tarble they should be all right."

Pigero nodded, "I hope you're right."

Soon the two pirates were given two beers one for each. Pigero began, took his cup and raised it, "I guess here's to the second island we got to on our ship." he suggested.

Zoro sighed, "Fine." The two of them lifted their cups and started drinking.

"So you two are shipmen."

Pigero and Zoro turned to see a man wearing a green hood that pretty much covered the majority of his body and was drinking his own beer.

"Yes and no, we're actually pirates." Pigero replied to the green hooded man.

The man took a sip, "Pirates? Isn't this a dangerous place for pirates?" he asked.

Pigero nodded, "Yeah, but don't worry we got people on the case to sort out that problem."

The green hooded man turned to face them, "Really, how strong are they?" he asked.

Zoro took a sip of his beer, "They've beaten a lot of tough cookies. Buggy, Kuro, Tao..."

The green hooded man then chocked on his beer, "Did you say Tao?"

Zoro gave the man a strange look, "Uh yeah. The jerk was gonna kill an entire village. Luckily we stopped him for good before he caused anymore trouble."

"Good." the green hooded man replied as he began to continue with his drink.

Pigero became curious, "Are you okay there mister? When we mentioned Tao you got upset. Did Tao do something to you?"

The green hooded man was starting to stare at his beer cup, "You could say that. You see Tao took someone important to me."

Pigero nodded sadly, "I'm sorry to hear that. I know this won't help, but our captain also lost someone important to him because of Tao."

The green hooded man got interested for a moment, "Really? What's his name, I might know him."

"Doubt it." Zoro took another sip of his beer, "He was born in a nobody village in this part of the sea."

The green hooded man just chuckled as he was staring into his beer mug, "Don't be so sure, I know a lot of people."

Pigero just shrugged, "Well, if you must know, our captain's name is Monkey D. Luffy."

After those words were said, the green hooded man's body froze for a moment as he let go of his cup.

Pigero and Zoro saw the beer cup falling down on the floor as it shattered with beer going down on the floor.

Pigero looked at the shattered cup, "Hey fellah you dropped..."

But as Pigero was about to finish his sentence, the green hooded man had vanished from his seat. He was gone and neither the two pirates had noticed that he had vanished.

Pigero turned his head around to see the rest of the bar in case the green hooded stranger had moved. But to no avail, the stranger had left the bar like a ghost.

* * *

Meanwhile, the four pirates that decided to face the Mountain Hunter were slowly coming to the mountain's entrance.

Usopp, despite looking terrified, was trying his best to keep a brave face before meeting the bounty hunter.

Tarble was trying to figure out some things as they were walking to the mountain. For starters, how did this guy know Galick Gun, only high levelled Saiyans could know that move? Could it be possible that the bounty hunter was a Saiyan? If so, then they had their work cut out for them.

Soon they stopped walking when they came to the edge of the cave's entrance. Looking at the darkness that the cave was emitting would give anyone the chills.

However, Luffy wasn't worried at all, "Come on guys, let's go and beat this guy and then we can get some meat!" he shouted with sparkles in his eyes.

Nami pulled his ear towards her, "Listen Luffy, we have a lot riding on this so don't screw up okay!?" she shouted at the pirate captain.

Luffy put his hands up defensively, "Okay okay."

Tarble nodded to the others, "Come on guys, I want to see this guy now." Tarble had to know if another Saiyan had come to this planet. The idea of a rouge Saiyan that had already gained such a death count frightened him.

Tarble was the first to enter the cave while Nami followed behind him.

Nami looked inside the mountain cave. So far it was endless darkness as far as the eye can see, there was water coming down the walls along with a dirt path.

Nami shrugged, "It doesn't look so..."

But before she could finish her sentence, and explosion happened. Luffy and Usopp were pushed straight out of the entrance from the explosion, the same thing happened to Tarble and Nami except they were inside.

Luffy felt his head rattling from the after effects of the explosion, "Usopp what the heck was that?"

Usopp was trying to get up from the ground. Once he did, he gasped, he saw that the entrance was covered with rocks. Meaning their two crewmates were stuck inside the cave, completely trapped.

"OH NO!" Usopp screamed, "How the hell are we gonna get them out!?"

Luffy was thinking and he lifted his arm up and had his hand ball into a fist, "**GUM-GUM PISTOL!**"

Luffy's arm expanded and shot into the rock but he felt pain as his arm shot lost its speed and just became flat on the ground.

Luffy gasped, "What happened? That trick usually works!"

Usopp put his hand on his chin, trying to figure out what caused Luffy's Devil Fruit powers to deflate on him.

He looked carefully at the rocks, so far they just seemed to be made out of regular stone and had water on them.

Then it hit Usopp, "Luffy, I think I know what happened!"

Luffy turned to him, "Well spill the beans."

Usopp walked to the rocks and touched them, "You see, the rocks have water on them, I think the water may also be inside them, I once read a book that water can go through rocks while being inside them. It's usually common for mountain rocks."

Usopp turned to Luffy, "The rocks must have so much water in them it causes a person's Devil Fruit powers to give up."

Luffy kicked some of the sand underneath his sandal, "Damn it, now we don't have any chance of saving Nami and Tarble."

Usopp began thinking again, "Hey, what if this isn't the only entrance?"

Luffy turned his head to Usopp, trying to figure out the sniper's plan.

Usopp stepped back and looked at a pathway that led around the mountain, "What if there's a back entrance?"

Luffy didn't need to be told twice as he grabbed Usopp, "Don't worry guys, we're coming for ya!" Luffy began to run around the mountain, hoping he could save his friends.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the closed cave entrance, Tarble was starting to regain conciseness.

He was slowly getting up, once he did he saw the cave entrance closed off by numbers of rocks.

Tarble grunted. Normally he would just power up his ki and blast the whole mountain to get out, but the problem with that idea was that the exploding mountain pieces would flatten the village completely killing a lot of people.

So that idea was scratched, but there was another way he could get help, "Luffy, Usopp, can you hear me!?" he shouted.

He tried to see if anyone would respond, but after five minutes no answer came.

Tarble grunted, he couldn't use his full power otherwise it would cause the mountain to explode and he couldn't get help from the other side. How was he and Nami able to escape?

Then it hit Tarble, he forgot about Nami. He looked at the area he was in.

He couldn't see her anywhere, the cave was too dark, and his Scouter was broken thanks to Tao and himself back in Usopp's village.

Tarble decided to sit on the ground for a moment to think on what the plan should be. He looked at the floor to see if he could make some drawings to pass the time.

But once he looked down he saw some footprints.

Granted it was dark but he could make out they were Nami's. The size of the prints matched her shoe size.

Tarble then frowned as he saw some footprints next to Nami's. They were bigger and the shoe size matched that of a...

Tarble then froze, the footprint matched a shoe of a Saiyan boot. The Mountain Hunter was wearing Saiyan armor.

Tarble then shrugged since his theory was true. Another Saiyan was on this planet and he had been killing all those pirates.

Tarble took another look at the footprints, it seemed the Mountain Hunter and Nami had a struggle, he must have taken her.

Tarble stopped examining the footprints and got ready to move. If Nami was with a pirate killer, especially a Saiyan, then she was in deep trouble.

Tarble flew slowly in the cave without activating his ki aura. He needed to find Nami and he needed to find her now.

"Mph." a voice echoed in the cave.

This caused Tarble to stop. He tried to sense which direction it was from. Soon he got it and went to the left.

As he flew he came out of the cave passage and into a circle like area inside the cave.

Tarble looked in each corner of the area to see if he could find Nami.

"Tarph." a hushed voice shouted.

Tarble looked up and gasped, "Nami."

Nami's upper body was tied up with her arms tied behind her back, she had been hoisted into the air where a rope tied to the cave's rock and behind her back kept her afloat along with her mouth being gagged by a white cloth.

"Gepph mph dowpph." she grunted.

"Don't worry Nami." Tarble tried reassure her.

"Donpph worpph!? Howpph canpph mph notpph worpph." she grunted.

Tarble began flying to Nami so he could untie her. However someone zoomed in front of him and back handed him to the wall.

Tarble was getting up to see his opponent.

Once Tarble did he got a clear picture of the Mountain Hunter, he wore black Saiyan armor with blue boots and blue gloves along with white spandex covering his legs and arms.

He also wore a black helmet that resembles a lion with a red screen covering his face.

"So this is the Saiyan that I've been hearing a lot about. You don't look like much." the Mountain Hunter said plainly.

Tarble got up, "I was gonna say the same thing about you."

The Mountain Hunter chuckled, "You've got some spunk kid, even if you're a Saiyan."

Tarble felt confused, "Wait aren't you a Saiyan?"

The Mountain Hunter growled, "Don't you dare compare me to one of those filthy monkeys!" he shouted which caused Tarble and Nami a little scare.

"Wait, if you're not a Saiyan, then who are you?" Tarble asked.

The Mountain Hunter decided to give the young Prince his wish as he took off his helmet. Once removed it showed a lion head with orange fur and a purple mane.

"My name is Tek of the Catsans, it's because of you I am alone!" Tek growled.

Tarble looked confused, "What are you talking about?"

Tek spat on the floor as he was still flying, "You Saiyans betrayed my people, we were always loyal to King Vegeta, we gave him knowledge and our services. Then one day that monster turned on us and killed all off the Catsans!"

Tarble was taken aback by this statement. One of the reasons why the Mountain Hunter had come to this position in his life was because of his Father.

Tarble sighed, "Tek listen, I understand you're angry and if you want to hurt me, but please don't hurt my friend! She didn't have anything to do with this." Tarble pleaded to the last Catsan hoping he could touch some sort of positive emotion in his heart.

Sadly Tek wanted blood and he wanted it now, "If you want to save her, you'll have to kill me."

Tarble sighed sadly, "Then I guess I don't have a choice."

Soon both Tarble and Tek flew into each other and started to fist each other.

Tarble tried to punch Tek however Tek was able to keep his defense up and swung Tarble to the ground.

Tarble jumped up again and tried to kick Tek. However Tek opened his mouth and took a bite of Tarble's foot as he grabbed the rest of the Saiyan's body and threw him deeper into the cave.

Tek took a moment looking at the pathway he had thrown Tarble. He turned to Nami, "Wait here for a moment, will ya?"

"Mph." Nami grunted angrily at him.

Tek soon flew into the pathway.

Nami took this chance to try and untie her hands. However she failed since the ropes were too well tied.

Soon she heard a voice, "Nami!"

She turned her head to see Luffy and Usopp at one of the entrances, "Mph." Nami was happy to see them.

Usopp then smiled, "See the Great Captain Usopp was right! Ha-ha!" he chuckled.

"Shutpph mph andpph getpph mph dowpph." Nami grunted at the sniper.

"Alright." Usopp sweat dropped.

He walked into the center of the circle area to see how they could get the navigator down.

"Well I..." Usopp was about to say.

"Don't worry Nami I got this!" Luffy shouted.

He raised his arm and balled his hand, "**Gum-Gum...**"

Usopp and Nami were trying to protest for Luffy to stop however the pirate captain already made up his mind.

"**PISTOL!**" Luffy shouted as his arm shot like a rocket. It was approaching the rope that was keeping Nami in mid-air and soon met its target as the attack broke the rope.

"MPPPPPHHHHH!" Nami screamed into her gag as she was falling to the ground.

She closed her eyes, expecting to feel some major pain, but surprisingly none came.

She reopened her eyes to see Usopp underneath her. He looked completely wrecked by breaking her fall.

"Ugh." Usopp groaned as he was trying to recover.

Luffy just ran down to the two, "Nami I'm so glad you and Tarble are okay, I was really worried."

Nami then fumed, "Mph idiph mph!" she was screaming into her gag.

Luffy then scratched his head not getting a word from what she said, "What?" he asked as he removed her gag.

Nami then burst into more rage, "You idiot how could you be so reckless!? I could've died, why didn't you use your head, seriously with Tarble fighting and..."

Luffy's brain ticked, "Oh no, Tarble, he's still fighting with that guy!" Luffy looked at one of the cave's entrances to see where Tarble had been thrown to.

"Don't worry buddy, I'm coming!" Luffy began to run into one of the entrances.

Nami just sat there with a sigh, this really was a hard job staying in this crew, even if it was for money.

She looked down at Usopp, "Hey Usopp, do you think you could untie me now?"

Usopp then groaned, "Could you get off me first?"

* * *

Meanwhile back with Tarble, he was slowly recovering from the attacks he received from Tek. These Catsans were really warriors.

However he didn't get a chance to fully recover as Tek appeared right before him and already got into a fighting stance.

Tarble did the same, even though he was injured he couldn't give into his enemy otherwise it would be the last thing he would ever do.

But before he continued the fight that may lead to his death he had to ask Tek something, "How do you know Galick Gun!" Tarble shouted.

Tek didn't seem to be phased by the question and didn't give the young Saiyan pirate an answer.

However Tarble wasn't budging, "Tell me! How do you know, that move is only reserved for first class Saiyans and the royal family! How did you learn it!?" he shouted.

Tek looked carefully at the young boy. He knew he was gonna kill the young Saiyan so he decided to give him his wish.

"My people created that technique along with a few others that you Saiyans use. The Catsans were the first people that the Saiyans made an alliance with when they conquered Planet Tuffle." Tek explained.

Tarble was taken a little by this. Did one of his family's most prized techniques been created by another race, a race his Father betrayed?

Tek continued with his explanation as he walked towards Tarble, "The Catsans taught the Saiyans a great deal of things such as fighting moves, science technology and even the ability to create artificial Moons to allow the Great Ape transformation to happen in daylight."

Tarble was backing a little away from Tek, Tarble didn't want to admit it but he was getting scared by this guy.

"That's why I'm wearing this armor, it was a gift from the Saiyans but in reality it was a way to butter us up." Tek continued.

Tarble now had been pushed to the edge of the cave and has nowhere left to run.

Tek then grabbed Tarble by the shirt and held him high, "Tell me! How does it feel to have everything you love torn from you!" Tek roared.

"I..." Tarble couldn't find any words to reply to the question.

"How does it feel seeing everyone you love being burned in front of you? Your wife, your children, your entire race!" Tek screamed. He wanted Tarble to feel the pain he had been feeling for a long time.

Tarble could only just stay up taking each of Tek's words to heart. A part of him just wanted to tell Tek to shut up, to say the Catsans were a threat and the Saiyans did the right thing in killing them. But he knew he would be no different to his Father if he did.

"Do you think they would still care about you if they knew what the Saiyans were truly like? Do you think that crew would keep you!? The moment they find out what you really are they would hate you, despise you, want nothing to do with you!" Tek screamed at Tarble even more.

Tarble, even though he didn't want to show it, really felt like crying at that moment. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Pigero had all been great friends to him. He respected them, he liked them and cared for them. If they ever rejected him and kicked him out of the crew he wouldn't have any idea on how to cope.

"So tell me Saiyan, what do you have at the end of the day? What do you have that allows you to stomach your race's actions, tell me, what do you have!?" Tek demanded.

Tarble then turned his mopey face into one of determination, "I have balls!" Tarble took out the Four-Star orange ball out of his pocket and banged it against Tek's head.

Tek roared in pain as he released Tarble from his grip. Tek then moved away from Tarble back to the cave's entrance. He wanted to kill this Saiyan now and he was going to make sure there was nowhere he could run.

"Alright boy, it's time to end this now! After I kill you I'm going for the rest of your kind. I will not rest till all you monkeys are gone!" Tek roared with pure disdain.

Tek got into a firing position, "You asked a lot about this move, well it might as well be the last thing you ever see. **GALICK GUN!**" Tek roared as he sent a burst of purple energy at Tarble.

Tarble had to think fast, he was thinking of intercepting with his own Galick Gun but for some reason his body didn't want to. He couldn't explain it but for some reason he just couldn't use that technique now.

The he remembered the tournament. He remembered seeing the other fighters he and Luffy had to face against. He remembered seeing all their different moves but one move he remembered the best and his body was edging him to use it.

Tarble put his hands in a firing position, "**KAMEHAMEHA!**" Tarble screamed as a pure burst of blue energy was sent from his hands and collided with Tek's Galick Gun.

Both warriors were being pushed to their limits but so far Tek was proving to be the superior in this clash.

"Give it up Saiyan! You have done well in surviving this far but now it's time for you to bow to your superiors!" Tek announced to Tarble.

Tarble knew Tek was right, no matter how hard he was trying Tek's attack was starting to overpower his blast. It would only be a matter of time before Tek won this match.

But then both fighters noticed something strange in the area.

They looked around and saw some kind of green mist around them.

Tek looked at it, "What kind of attack is this?" he demanded.

Tarble shook his head, he remembered seeing the Kamehameha moves used in the tournament. He remembered the attack produced blue energy but he never saw anything like green mist being produced as well. Same could be said about the Galick Gun and he figured Tek knew that.

Soon the green mist merged with Tarble's Kamehameha Wave, increasing its energy. Tarble almost lost control of it for a moment but regained the control.

His Kamehameha Wave soon got a massive boost and was starting to overpower Tek. Tarble used one final push and the Kamehameha Wave took over the battle and absorbed Tek.

In one final flash Tarble could hear Tek's roar from the pain caused by the Kamehameha Wave. It sounded horrible to Tarble, Tek may have been an enemy but even he wouldn't wish that pain on anybody.

Soon after the flash died down, Tarble removed his hands from his eyes to take a look at Tek.

Tek had fumes coming out of his body, his suit had been damaged to a point of no repair and his body looked burned to the bone.

Tarble started to move closer to Tek.

"Tek?" Tarble asked sadly.

Tek just stared at him carefully, then he formed a smile on his mouth, "You pulled a good fight for a Saiyan. If that was the last thing I did in my life then I can honestly say it was worth it."

With that said Tek's eyes rolled over his head and the last Catsan fell to the ground. Tarble could no longer feel anything from the former bounty hunter, it was clear the poor warrior was dead.

Tarble moved slowly to Tek's body, but he stopped as he heard a scream, "Tarble!"

Tarble stopped as he saw Luffy running out of the entrance. Luffy ran over to the Saiyan and hugged him, "Man I'm glad you're okay, I thought something happened to you!"

Tarble could only take a moment before letting some air out and return the hug to Luffy, this day had been a long day, a day he really wanted to be over with.

Luffy turned to look at Tek, "So that's the douche who caused all these problems?"

Tarble nodded, "Yeah Luffy."

Luffy just sighed, "Well at least it's over with. Come on, Nami and Usopp are waiting for us." Luffy began to walk back to his friends.

But Tarble had another idea, "Luffy wait, there's something we need to do first."

* * *

An hour later, Tarble, Luffy, Nami, and Usopp had carried Tek's body out of the mountain. Once they did they found a nice area next to the mountain.

Luffy and Usopp began to dig a hole on the ground. Once it was big enough Tarble lifted Tek's body and put him inside it.

Luffy and Usopp refilled the hole and put some stones around it.

Tarble sighed sadly, "Tek did a lot of horrible things, but he wasn't a bad person, he just had something bad happen to him that made him see only the negatives in life."

Tarble meant every word he said. Tek, despite everything he did, was only pushed to it due to the things Tarble's people had committed.

Tarble looked at the grave they made for him, he hoped wherever Tek was, he was reunited with the other Catsans.

Nami then decided to break the mood, "Come on guys, we beat the bad guy that means we get the reward and the town can regain their pirate business."

Usopp looked at her, "You know we were having a moment." he said in a low tone voice.

Nami sighed, "I know but the guy did kidnap me and used me as leverage, that type of stuff does traumatize you."

Usopp rolled his eyes, "You just want the village to give you 20%?"

"No." Nami said flatly, "I want them to give me 30%."

Usopp groaned, "Unbelievable."

Nami sighed, "Come on Luffy, let's see if we can get you a banquet."

Luffy smiled, "Yay food! Come on guys, all that thinking and running made me hungry." he soon followed Nami as the two walked back to town.

Usopp was gonna join them but stopped as he saw Tarble was still looking at Tek's grave.

"You okay buddy?" Usopp asked.

Tarble sighed, "Usopp, do you think the word warriors is just an excuse word for killers?"

Usopp was taken aback by this, "What are you talking about Tarble?"

Tarble groaned, "It's just I want to be the best warrior there ever lived, but does that mean I have to kill everything I see in order to do it? Do I have to kill just for the fun of it?"

Usopp then started to ponder for a moment, "Well Tarble, I'm not the right guy you should ask questions like this to. Maybe Zoro could give you a better answer, but something tells me you want one now?"

Tarble nodded.

"Well yeah a warrior does have to kill sometimes, but they shouldn't do it on a regular basis and they really shouldn't do it if they find pleasure in it. The reason why most warriors kill is to protect someone they care about, but that should be the only reason. If you kill for pleasure, you're not a warrior, you're just a plain killer." Usopp gave Tarble his answer.

Tarble stiffened as he remembered hearing the news reports from his planet on each of the planets the Saiyans conquered.

"But if you do it to protect someone you care about and if it's the only option you have then I guess you don't have a choice. What I'm trying to say is a true warrior should know when they shouldn't kill because that's the harder choice. If you know that then I think you could be a good warrior." Usopp smiled at his friend.

Tarble smiled at his friend and looked up at Usopp, "Thanks Usopp, you know if you keep that attitude I think you could make a great pirate captain."

Usopp then stood proudly, "Hey, I already am a great pirate captain."

Tarble smiled, "Then I guess you won't have trouble racing me back to town."

Usopp smiled in return and the two friends began to run down the path.

Meanwhile, unknown to the two pirates, the man with the green hood saw them and heard their entire conversation.

He smiled, "I guess my son picked the right people after all."

* * *

Looks like the end of another adventure for the Straw Hat Pirates with Tarble pulling off his first Kamehameha Wave against Tek and his Galick Gun, but their journey to the Grand Line is far from over. Join us again as the adventures continue next time on The X-Pirates!


	21. The Sea Restaurant, Baratie

On the last chapter of The X-Pirates, the Straw Hat Pirates stopped at an island that was once a perfect stop for pirates until a killer, called the Mountain Hunter. While Tarble, Luffy, Nami, and Usopp left to deal with this Mountain Hunter, Pigero and Zoro decided to hang back and get something to drink when they met up with a mysterious person in a green hood. Soon Tarble was able to find the Mountain Hunter and was told about the hunter's true identity. The Mountain Hunter turned out to be Tek, the last survivor of an alien race known as the Catsans, who wants revenge on the Saiyans for killing his race. Tarble and Tek then fought in the cave, and though it looked close, Tarble was able to win by pulling off his first Kamehameha Wave, and now wishes that Tek was in a better place. And now, the Straw Hat Pirates are once again on their way to the Grand Line.

The Sea Restaurant, Baratie

Back on the Merry's deck, Nami was relaxing, Pigero was writing what Tarble and Nami told him about Tek in his journal, Zoro was napping, and Luffy and Usopp were getting a cannon ready with some cannon balls that Luffy was able to find.

The only other member of the crew that also seemed to be taking a nap was Tarble, but it would seem that he's having a nightmare with the way he kept hissing, tossing and turning. What could he be dreaming about?

* * *

_Tarble's nightmare:_

_Tarble opened his eyes and he saw that he was still on the Going Merry's deck, but as he looked up to see that the sky was covered in dark clouds, so as he kept looking at the clouds, he told the others, "Brace yourselves guys, looks like a storm's coming!"_

_When he heard no reply, he looked around the deck and asked, "Guys?"_

_Then he gasped when he took another look at the deck, the Going Merry was wrecked beyond repair and it wasn't on water, it was on a small uninhabited island, and it seems as though Tarble was the only one on the ship as he looked around while asking, "What-What's going on here!?"_

_"Guys, are you still here?" Tarble called as he searched the wrecked Going Merry for his friends, "Zoro! Nami! Usopp! Pigero! Luffy!"_

_Then Tarble heard something as he jumped off the wrecked boat and looked around the island, "Guys, where are you!? What happened to the Going Merry!?"_

_Then he gasped when he saw a bunch of skeletons on the ground as he looked around to see more destruction done to the island, so he gulped and asked himself, "What's happened here?"_

_Then suddenly, Tarble had a sword dangerously close to his neck as he slowly turned and then gasped when he saw that it was Zoro holding the sword to the Saiyan's neck, then Zoro said, "Good, you're finally here, you bastard!"_

_"Zoro, wh-what are you doing?" Tarble asked, a little shaky about the sword against his neck._

_"What should've been done a long time ago!" Zoro growled dangerously low, making Tarble gulp nervously._

_Then a rock hit his head, "Ow!" then he looked to see Pigero with his fists surrounded by rocks, so he asked, "Pigero? Why did you do that?"_

_"That was just a warning shot you demon! Next time, I'll make sure to use all of my Brek-Brek Devil Fruit powers on you!" Pigero yelled as he pounded his two rock covered fists together._

_"Guys, come on! It's me, Tarble! We're all members of the same pirate crew, aren't we?" Tarble asked._

_"Think again!" Tarble turned to see Nami giving him a very angry glare as she growled at the Saiyan Prince, "I never thought I'd hate something more than I hate pirates, but I guess I was wrong! You're worse than any pirate I've ever met!"_

_Tarble was shocked by what Nami was saying, "What!? Nami, what are you talking about? Don't you guys recognize me?"_

_"Yeah, we recognize you!" then Usopp came in as well while aiming his slingshot at Tarble, "We recognize you as the monster you are! You're nothing more than a liar and a killer! The Saiyans are not space pirates, they're just a bunch of murdering monsters like you!"_

_"WHAT!? How can you say that!?" Tarble yelled in shock as he looked around the island._

_Zoro pressed his sword a little closer to Tarble's neck and snarled, "Don't play dumb with us, see what has happened to this island?"_

_"I do, who did this?" Tarble asked while looking at the damage done to the place._

_"It was YOU! You caused all of this!" Pigero yelled while pointing at Tarble, who was pretty pale now._

_"You killed all of these people!" Nami yelled._

_"You destroyed the Going Merry! That was a gift from Kaya and Merry!" Usopp yelled angrily._

_"You pretty much destroyed this entire island!" Zoro yelled as Tarble had small tears in the corner of his eyes while looking around._

_"Guys, it wan't me! I didn't do this!" Tarble yelled._

_"Tarble!" someone else called for the Saiyan who blinked, then he smiled when he saw another familiar face come to him._

_"Luffy! Oh boy am I glad to see you!" Tarble said happily while Luffy was now in front of him, but his hat was overshadowing his eyes while Tarble continued with, "Luffy, you've gotta help me. the others seem to think that I killed these people and destroyed the Going Merry! Please, tell me someone else did this!"_

_"I wish I could, but that would be a lie... Traitor!" Luffy yelled the last as he looked up to glare at Tarble who gasped when he looked up to see a halo above Luffy's head as Luffy continued with, "And while you killed all of these people, you killed me as well and then destroyed the Going Merry! The biggest mistake I've ever made in my life... was making you the first member of my pirate crew! Now it's payback time Tarble! I'm gonna do more than kick your ass, I'm gonna kill you like you killed me!"_

_Then Luffy stretched his arms back and got ready to launch them at Tarble who was trembling as the fists came at Tarble fast as the Saiyan Prince shut his eyes tight, "Wait, Luffy don't! NOOOOOO!"_

_Nightmare interrupted:_

* * *

Tarble was startled awake after hearing an explosion as he looked around to see that he was on the Going Merry, which was still as good as new, and he saw Luffy standing behind a smoking cannon, showing that he just fired it as Tarble had a hand on his chest while panting and silently saying to himself, "A dream, it was just a dream. I'm alive, I'm still alive."

"Hey what's so loud down there!?" Zoror shouted, seems as though the cannon woke him up from his nap as well.

"Cannon firing practice." Luffy answered, then he frowned and bit his lower lip, "But it's not going very well."

Usopp went around to the other side and said firmly, "Like I said, let the expert aim the thing." Then he pushed Luffy out of the way so he could show him. Frowning a little, tilting the cannon farther to the left, he muttered to himself, "Judging from the flying distance of that last one... This should do it..." and when he fired the cannon, the rock in the distance that they were aiming at was blown to pieces.

"Wow, nice shooting Usopp!" Pigero commented before he went back to writing in his journal.

"Awesome! You hit that thing on the first try!" Luffy shouted happily.

Usopp was surprised himself as he muttered, "Wow, I did?" then he realized what he said, and then quickly said, as if he knew that would happen all along, "What do you think? I'm pretty magnificent when it comes to aiming, so are you impressed yet?"

"Don't think I didn't just hear that Usopp." Tarble thought, even though he was still shock about his nightmare while Luffy nodded eagerly.

"Yeah! You better believe it!" Luffy said firmly, "So it's all settled! You'll be our sniper, and Pigero will be our chronicler!"

Pigero smiled and held up his pencil, "Cool with me, Captain!"

Usopp looked surprised and asked, "Wait, I don't get to be captain?"

"No, I'm still the captain!" Luffy yelled in annoyance and soon they got into an argument.

Pigero chuckled a little while looking at Luffy and Usopp, but then he saw Tarble's still pale face as he asked, "Tarble, you okay?"

"Uh yeah, I think I'm fine, just had a bit of a bad dream." Tarble answered, but then the two of them looked to see that Nami took it upon herself to break up the argument by taking everyone inside and now they were all sitting down at the table.

"Whatever, I'll humor you for now. But... the second you do something cowardly, I'm taking your post!" Usopp told Luffy as they relaxed at the table.

"I can live with that." Luffy said casually, then he looked to see Tarble sitting next to him while looking at the orange ball in his hands. Curious about the ball, Luffy pointed at it and asked, "Hey Tarble, where did you get that?"

"Oh this? Kakarot gave it to me before we left Emerald Island. He considers it his treasure, a good luck charm, and the only thing he had to remind him of his Grandfather by." Tarble answered while he showed the others the Four-Star ball as he continued with, "Like me, he changed into a Great Ape after looking at the Full Moon. He had no control of himself and unknowingly killed his own Grandfather, and the next day, all he had was his house and this ball given to him by his Grandfather."

"Wow, and Kakarot just gave it to you? That was really nice of him to do that!" Usopp said while looking at the ball.

"We made a promise to each other, that I would hold on to this for both Kakarot and myself until I become a true Saiyan warrior, to train like no other Saiyan has trained before, and then, only then would I return this ball to Kakarot." Tarble said while Nami's expression looked dark as she looked at the Four-Star ball.

"Wow, kinda sounds like the promise I made to Shanks years ago." Luffy thought as he glanced up at the straw hat on his head.

Then suddenly, they heard the sound of a barrel shattering on deck and then someone yelled, "Get out here you damn pirates!"

Then Luffy and Tarble looked to see that it was a young man with black hair and somewhat tanned skin along with a pair of sunglasses, and also a tattoo on the side of his face that read out: sea. Then Luffy demanded, "Hey what the hell!? Who are you?"

"Shut up! Who I am means nothing ya stinking pirate!" the young man yelled before he tried to slice Luffy with the sword he was carrying, but he easily jumped out of harm's way as did Tarble... however the sword swing ended up cutting up part of the upper railing.

The the young man proclaimed, "Over the years I've lost count of all the pirate heads we've taken! Now you guys think you can kill my partner?" He tried to attack Luffy and Tarble again, but ended up breaking up a few of the floorboards with his next attack.

"What do you mean by partner?" Luffy asked, now losing his temper, "Look, I don't know what this is! Just stop wrecking our ship!" Without another word, Luffy grabbed the young man and threw him over his head like he was nothing but a rag doll and the young man slammed into the side of the cabin before he slowly slid down to the floor.

"Lost by a hair..." the young man muttered.

"Looked like more than a hair to me." Tarble thought, hearing what the young man just said while sweat dropping.

"Who is this guy?" Luffy asked while looking at the young man.

"Well, with the way he talked about pirates, and the fact that he's not wearing a uniform worn by the marines, I'm gonna say he's a bounty hunter." Tarble guessed just as Zoro walked out of the cabin to see what was going on himself.

Zoro looked down to see who it was and he was quite surprised as he said, "Johnny... tell me it isn't you?"

"Huh? Who's saying my name like they think they know me or something?" the man, Johnny, demanded, looking up with an angry glare, but then he gasped when he realized who it was. So he got back on his feet and gasped, "Big Bro Zoro!"

Zoro looked at him with a satisfied expression on his face as he said, "Johnny, it is you."

Luffy looked at Tarble and whispered, "Do you think that guy's one of Zoro's friends?"

"Well, with the way they're talking to each other while smiling, I guess they are." Tarble whispered back with a shrug.

"What are you doing here, Big Bro? What are you doing on a pirate ship!? What's going on around here?" Johnny asked.

"Hey, relax. Where's Yosaku? Isn't he with you?" Zoro asked instead of answering Johnny's questions.

"What's going on?" Luffy asked in confusion while Nami and Usopp pressed their noses up against the window to see what was going on while Pigero stood back while looking at the same window while Luffy asked, "You guys know each other or something?"

Johnny was near tears as he pointed to the railing, "He's over here!" Then he and the others ran to the side of Merry and they looked down to see another young man wearing a long green coat and bright orange headgear was lying there in a small boat. He had a sickly look to his skin, he seemed to be having trouble breathing with a thick bandage wrapped around his chest and stomach that was stained with blood.

"He's been sick..." Johnny stuttered with tears while Zoro placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"I'll bring him up here." Tarble offered before he slowly flew down to Yosaku and carefully picked him up and then went back up onto the deck.

Zoro looked at Yosaku and exclaimed, "What is it!?"

Johnny began to explain what happened to him and his partner, "Up until a few days ago he was healthy and full of life. And now...? He just keeps fainting and getting really pale! I have no clue what's causing it! His teeth have been falling out and his old wound opened up and started bleeding! He just got worse and worse, I didn't know what to do!" Then Nami, Pigero, and Usopp joined everyone else as Johnny went on while trying his best to hold in his tears, "I thought it would be best to let Yosaku rest on a small island for a little while... but then a cannonball came and blew up the rock and it almost killed us!"

Luffy and Usopp were horrified to hear that. "We're very sorry!" they said at the same time while bowing their heads down.

"Sorry isn't good enough." Johnny said, almost resentfully while Luffy and Usopp both turned blue in the face and they both looked like they could cry at any moment while Tarble and Pigero patted them on the backs gently to try and calm them down.

"Isn't that right, Partner!? Big Bro, give it to me straight. Is he going to die!?" Johnny asked Zoro who didn't answer, but his eyes widened a little and he seemed unable to think of something to say.

Then Nami spoke up, "You're all so dumb."

"Hey, watch what you say!" Zoro warned, but Nami ignored him as she checked on Yosaku by opening his eyes and pulling out his tongue.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing!?" Johnny asked her angrily, thinking that she's not helping at all.

Tarble held Johnny back and assured him, "It's okay, it might not look like it, but she's helping your partner."

Nami then turned to Luffy and Usopp, who still looked pretty scared, and told them, "What are you two standing around for? Go get some limes from the storage room!"

Luffy and Usopp then rushed off to get some limes... But when they did, they got stuck in the door to the storage room after getting some limes, that was enough to make Pigero sigh while asking himself, "How do I get myself into these situations?"

Later, Luffy and Usopp were dripping lime juice into Yosaku's mouth, then Tarble asked, "So what's wrong with him Nami?"

"He has Scurvy." Nami grimly told them.

"Scurvy?" Johnny and Tarble repeated in confusion.

"I've heard about it while I was still in training. It's a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required from the synthesis of collagen. As Scurvy advances, there can be open, suppurating wounds, loss of teeth, jaundice, fever, and even death. It's pretty common among sailors to get Scurvy." Pigero explained.

"If we're not too late, he should recover in a few days." Nami added while Johnny cried in happiness.

"Really Big Sis? REALLY!?" Johnny asked, then he yelled out in pure happiness, "THANK YOU BIG SIS!"

Nami just pushed him off and said, "Don't call me that."

Luffy was also impressed as he gasped, "You're smart! You're like... a DOCTOR!"

"YOU GUYS ARE MORONS!" Nami yelled to everyone, "EVERY SAILOR SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SCURVY!"

Tarble chuckled nervously, but then he saw that Luffy and Usopp were now shoving limes in Yosaku's mouth, so he yelled, "Whoa! Hey! Luffy, Usopp, stop that!"

Then, while coughing up limes, Yosaku sat up with the color back on his face. Blinking in surprise, he looked up at Johnny and soon the two were dancing and singing about how he was cured, and then Nami yelled at them both, "YOU CAN'T HEAL THAT QUICKLY!"

Then the two of them stopped to face the others with Johnny saying, "Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Johnny."

"And I'm Yosaku." Yosaku added.

"Together we're the baddest pirate bounty hunting duo in the world!" they said at the same time.

"Big Bro Zoro there used to be one of us." Johnny added.

"Glad to make your acquaintance." Yosaku said while smiling.

"Small world. I never thought I'd see you two again." Zoro said.

"Well, if you think you're surprised." Yosaku said, beaming at the sight of Zoro.

"We never thought that the Pirate Hunter Zoro became a pirate himself." Johnny spoke up while looking around at the ship.

Tarble shrugged, "Like he said, small world." But as Zoro held his hands out to shake with Johnny and Yosaku, Yosaku was pale again and then passed out where he stood.

"Hey, partner!?" Johnny exclaimed in shock.

Nami just calmly assured him, "He just needs a full night of sleep before he could even think about moving, let alone dancing around like that."

* * *

After getting Yosaku a spot to get some rest, everyone else was back in the lounge to talk with each other.

"Let this be a lesson to you." Nami said firmly as she pulled out her logbook and started to write down everything that happened today while Pigero kept writing in his own journal.

"Yeah, this is the kind of trouble you get into when you chose a life on the sea." Zoro agreed as he sat up against the wall, looking ready for a nap.

"Which means, while we're at sea, we really gotta think about how to get the right amount of nutrients with very little food." Usopp added gravely.

"It's absolutely necessary that someone knows how to do that." Nami agreed with a frown while wondering what to do.

"It's necessary?" Luffy asked while enjoying some bread, then his eyes widened as he suddenly had an idea, "Right, a ship needs a cook!"

The others looked to him, then Tarble nodded with a smile, "Good thinking Luffy, this ship needs a good cook."

Usopp stood up in excitement, "I'm in! We'll have yummy food even while we're out at sea!"

"But where are we gonna find a cook all the way out here?" Pigero asked, just finished writing down what just happened.

"I know the perfect place where you guys can find a cook!" Johnny claimed.

Luffy was pretty much jumping up and down with an arm around Tarble while yelling, "TELL US TELL US TELL US!"

"Easy Luffy, let him tell us where to find a cook before you get all excited!" Tarble tried to get Luffy to calm down.

"Consider yourselves warned." Johnny said as he paced forward until he was right in front of Zoro before he continued with, "This place is close to the Grand Line and I've heard a lot of rumors lately. That a certain Hawk-Eye man you're looking for is there too." After hearing that, Zoro grabbed his sword and grinned almost as equally as Luffy.

"Set a course! North by northeast!" Johnny exclaimed dramatically while pointing in the direction, "Our destination is... the sea restaurant, Baratie!"

"I'm on it!" Pigero said as he got out to turn the ship in the direction Johnny was pointing.

* * *

Later, as they sailed on, Tarble was up on the crow's nest when he spotted something, so he called to the others, "Hey guys, I see something straight ahead of us! Come look!"

Then everyone got on the upper deck with Tarble jumping down to join them as they stared ahead to see a brightly colored ship that looked like a large fish with many different levels and the name 'Baratie' spelled out in front.

"So, what do you think!?" Johnny asked while Yosaku cautiously poked his head out the door to his cabin.

"Wow! That's a big fish!" Luffy yelled with excitement.

"It's lovely!" Nami exclaimed.

"This is the coolest place ever!" Usopp yelled.

Tarble looked at the Baratie in awe, "I've never seen anything this nice while I was in training on different planets."

"Just like I told ya, right?" Johnny asked.

Pigero smiled at the sight of the restaurant as well, but then he heard bells and honking noises from behind them as he turned to look at the source when he narrowed his eyes at the sight and told the others, "Guys, we've got company." Then the others turned to see a large marine ship sailing towards them.

"What the...? A marine ship? All the way out here?" Johnny cried out, startled by the ship's sudden appearance.

"Hey Luffy, you don't think they're gonna fire on us are they?" Usopp asked quietly while Luffy just shrugged.

"That's just my luck, of course the marines would show up." Zoro said angrily.

"Took the words right out of my mouth, Zoro." Pigero agreed angrily.

"But how did that ship...?" Nami asked in surprise while Johnny tried to sneak below deck.

Then someone came out onto the deck of the marine ship. It was an average sized marine who wore a white pinstriped suit, he also had pink hair kinda like Coby's, well combed and slicked back, with a scar under his right eye and bolts attached to his knuckles that gleamed in the sunlight as he put his hand up on the railing when he looked over at them and said, "I've never seen that pirate flag." Then he called out, holding up his fist so that they couldn't miss his knuckles, "I'm Iron Fist Fullbody! But you can just call me Sir!"

"I'd rather die." Pigero muttered to himself while glaring at Fullbody.

"You there! Who is the Captain? Identify yourself!" Fullbody shouted.

Luffy stepped forward, "My name is Luffy!"

Then Usopp also came forward almost right after Luffy did, "My name's Usopp, got it?"

Luffy then gave Usopp a slightly irritated look, "We've only made our pirate flag not that long ago!"

"Right before we competed in the East Blue Martial Arts Tournament." Tarble added while slowly shaking his head with his arms crossed.

"That's right Marine, and I drew it!" Usopp yelled smugly.

Fullbody sneered, "You did? Is that so?" Then he noticed Johnny and Yosaku, who were half hidden behind the door, and called to them, "Hey, you two! I've seen you before! You're that bounty hunting duo that goes after the small fish, right?"

"What? Well, we..." Johnny exclaimed nervously, but couldn't figure out what else to say.

"So you've finally been caught by pirates." Fullbody sneered before he laughed.

Then a woman in a red dress came out from behind a cooed, "Hey, come on baby, let's get going."

"Sure." Fullbody told her.

Johnny and Yosaku looked very angry because they were being insulted as Fullbody and his girlfriend turned their backs. "Hey wait a minute!" Johnny yelled while reaching into his jacket, "You think that small-time bounty hunters would go after these guys!?" and then he threw a stack of wanted posters onto the deck.

However, Fullbody didn't reply as he held his thumbs down to one of the marines with him, Tarble then heard Fullbody say something about shooting them down so he gulped, "That can't be good."

"He ignored us!" Johnny growled.

"Next time we see him, he better have some more respect for us!" Yosaku said with determination.

Nami then spotted one of the wanted posters and bent down to pick it up as she softly asked, "What are these things?" though she already knew judging by the tone of her voice.

"Well, these are all wanted posters Big Sis Nami." Johnny answered before he chocked up when he saw the poster she had picked up.

Tarble looked back and saw the poster in Nami's hands... More like he could only see the name on the poster as he thought, "Arlong?"

Johnny then cleared his throat and finished, "In other words, if we defeat them, we get the reward money."

"Pretty good business, huh Big Sis?" Yosaku asked before Johnny covered his mouth, clearly going after someone by the name of Arlong didn't sit well with him for some reason.

Nami didn't say anything, but she crushed the poster in her hands, with her hands shaking.

Then suddenly, the marine ship then aimed a cannon at them as Usopp yelled in fear, "Hey you guys, look! They're pointing that cannon right at us!"

But the cannon fired as the cannonball was heading their way when Luffy proclaimed, "Leave it to me!" He then wrapped his legs against the railing tightly before he stretched out to grab the mast and the bow of the ship to make a slingshot. The cannonball hit him directly in the chest as he stretched back so he was now dangling dangerously over the ocean.

Tarble saw that Luffy was beginning to lose his grip, so he yelled out, "Hang in there Luffy!" then he flew over to help Luffy... But it was too late, the force of the cannonball caused part of the sheep's head to break off so that Luffy's hand slipped. Luffy and Tarble gasped as Tarble quickly grabbed Luffy's hand while yelling, "Okay, this isn't a problem! All we have to do is-" he didn't finish as Luffy launched the cannonball back, but the direction was completely off and went straight for the Baratie. It crashed into the roof and caused an explosion while Tarble gave off a nervous grin and muttered, "Oops." then Luffy crashed into the Merry's bow, making Tarble let go of Luffy's hand as he spun around real fast in the air until he was so dizzy as he groaned, "So dizzy, can't stay in the air." then he fell and landed in the water.

The smoke cleared and everyone saw a giant hole in the roof of the building while the marine ship quickly headed off to the restaurant, ignoring Pigero yelling, "HEY, WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!? GET BACK HERE!"

"Just ignore him Pigero, he's not worth it." Zoro said with a hand on Pigero's shoulder to try and calm him down.

Then chefs came out of the restaurant to look around and get a good look at what was going on. As soon as they saw the pirate ship, they began to yell right away while the ship got closer to the restaurant while the chefs then dragged Luffy with them as Pigero said, "Looks like Luffy's got himself in a real jam now."

Usopp then looked down at the spot of the water Tarble fell in and asked, "Shouldn't we get Tarble back up here before he drowns?"

"Well, I can't go due to me having Devil Fruit powers." Pigero shrugged.

Johnny then noticed something surfacing from the water right next to the Baratie and told the others, "Wait, I see him right over there." that's when the others saw that Tarble was now standing right in front of the Baratie while wringing his tail a bit.

Tarble then turned to the others and asked, "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine, but some of the chefs took Luffy into the Baratie!" Usopp told the Saiyan who looked back at the restaurant.

Tarble sighed, "Oh boy, this can't be for a good reason." then he looked back at the others, "Guys, wait right there on the ship, I'm going in."

"You sure you want to do that? Those chefs looked pretty mad." Pigero said, then he got mad as he added, "Not to mention that marine's in there!"

"I'll be fine, I'll try not to make a scene." Tarble assured before he walked inside the Baratie.

Nami sighed before she looked inside the cabin to see the Four-Star ball in there and her expression got cold again.

* * *

Inside the Baratie, Tarble looked around the dining room to see a bunch of people enjoying their meals on tables around the area and he also saw some stone stairs as well.

"Okay, now where did the chefs take Luffy?" Tarble asked as he walked further inside and looked around, then he spotted Fullbody and his girlfriend having their meal as he thought, "It's them."

Fullbody then examined the bottle of wine, "Let's see... from the North, Mikkyuo, lightly acidic, full-bodied, dry... Yes, I'm positive!" then he turned to the man pouring the wine who had curly blonde hair that covered his left eye, in a black suit with a cigarette in his mouth and asked, "This is Itururt-Subulga Stein, isn't it, waiter?"

The man turned to him, smirked and said, "You couldn't be any more wrong, Sir. And also, I'm not a waiter, I'm just a soup chef."

That was enough to make the customers laugh while Tarble laughed with his hand over his mouth while Fullbody looked shocked, then he snorted, "Ha! He was so sure of himself."

Then man then noticed Tarble, then told Fullbody and his girlfriend, "Enjoy your meal." then his kissed the woman's hand before he walked over to Tarble while saying, "Hey you!"

Tarble stopped laughing and saw the man coming his way as the man asked, "Can I help you with something?"

Tarble thought about it, "Hmm, I guess it couldn't hurt to ask this guy." then he turned to the soup chef and said, "Yeah. You see, my friend got dragged in here by a couple of angry chefs, I came here to get him back."

The man crossed his arms, "I see. Would that have something to do with the explosion I heard not that long ago?"

Tarble smiled sheepishly, "Yeah, but it was an accident that could've been avoided if he hadn't have fired a cannon at me and my friends." he pointed at Fullbody who looked like he was ready to complain.

While Tarble and the man were talking, Fullbody looked anything but happy about being wrong, so when no one was looking he snuck a fly in his soup to get revenge as he thought, "How dare you humiliate me? You'll pay!" then he called, "Oh waiter!"

The man turned away from Tarble and told Fullbody, "I told you, I'm not a waiter. What do you want?"

Fullbody pointed at his soup and asked, "What kind of dump serves soup with bugs?"

"Bugs?" the man asked as he and Tarble looked down at the soup with the fly in it.

"What's this fly doing in my soup?" Fullbody asked with a smug look on his face.

Tarble saw the look and thought, "Judging by the look on his face, I'd say that he put that fly in his own soup."

"Hard to tell, but it appears to be doing the backstroke." the man said as Tarble and the customers laughed again.

Filled with rage, Fullbody smashed the table, breaking it along with the dishes on it, "Don't toy with me!" he growled, then he noticed Tarble and yelled, "You again!?"

Tarble then looked down at the spilled food before he looked back at Fullbody and said, "You know, if you just removed the fly, the soup would still be okay to eat."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." the man told the Saiyan, and boy was Fullbody mad now.

"WHAT!? I'm the customer! How dare you say things like that!? You are a lowly cook!" Fullbody yelled as the soup chef, then he turned to Tarble and yelled, "And as for you, I will not allow a pirate like yourself to tell me and my meals! So you stay out of this!"

"Please stop, Fullbody!" Fullbody's girlfriend begged.

"I see, so you're a pirate?" the man asked Tarble, then he pushed the Saiyan aside and asked Fullbody, "Does money replace lack of courage?"

Tarble blinked before he asked, "Wait, what about my friend that got carried in here?"

"You'll have to wait." the man said with a look of anger in his eyes while some more chefs came out and watched the scene unfold and they knew it wasn't gonna be good.

"Stop Sanji, just let it go!" Tarble heard one of the chefs shout to the soup chef now known as Sanji.

"What could be the problem?" Tarble asked himself before Sanji gave Fullbody a couple of good kicks.

Soon Sanji was holding a bloody Fullbody up by his shirt while Tarble, the chefs, the customers, and Fullbody stared in shock as Sanji told him, "Offending a cook at sea is a big mistake, remember that. And food must NEVER be wasted."

Tarble then looked at Sanji and thought, "So he's a cook. And from the looks of it, one who's pretty serious about his job."

Then another person with large forearms came in while saying, "The Customer Is King!" over and over again, but then he saw Sanji and Fullbody and walked over to yell, "Sanji again? What are you doing to that customer, who is a marine officer!?"

Sanji then turned to the man and dropped Fullbody, "This piece of garbage wasted food and insulted our cooks! So I taught him a lesson."

Tarble narrowed his eyes as he thought, "I hardly call that teaching him a lesson."

Fullbody got back up, "This place is awful! The food is terrible and the service leaves a lot to be desired if you let pirates like him hang around!" he pointed at Tarble as the other chefs noticed him.

"Wait, he's a pirate?" one of the customers asked while gazing at Tarble, but Sanji got more mad at Fullbody and lunged at him while the cooks held him back.

Sanji tried to free himself while grunting, "Let me go! I can't stand snobs like him! I'll get you big shot! I'll teach you a lesson you'll not soon forget!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Sanji, the other cooks, the customers, Fullbody's girlfriend, and more importantly Fullbody were surprised to see Tarble standing in front of Fullbody.

"This snob needs to be taught a lesson, get out of my way!" Sanji yelled, but Tarble stood in his place.

"I can understand why you want to get back at him for what he did to your food, but kicking him while he's down is going too far! If you try to go at him while he's down now, then what you try to do to him, I'll unleash on you twice as hard! Now leave him be!" Tarble yelled.

"Stay out of this Monkey Boy!" Sanji yelled, but then he saw Tarble's tail and began to ask, "Huh? What's with the-" But then something came crashing down to the floor from the ceiling, making everyone stop what they were doing to see who came crashing down.

It turned out to be Luffy, along with some more chefs, and also an elderly looking man with blonde hair, a long mustache and beard, wearing an extra long chef's hat, and Tarble looked to see that the elderly looking man's right leg was replaced with a pegged leg, so he gasped and muttered to himself, "Oh my goodness, please tell me he didn't lose his leg in that attack!"

Luffy then gasped as he choked out, "I can breath again!" then he noticed that Tarble was in the restaurant as well, so he told him, "Tarble, buddy, you've gotta help me out here! This old guy's trying to make me work here for a whole year to cover the damage done to this place!"

The old man looked up at the hole made on the ceiling while one of the chefs asked in surprise, "Boss Zeff, what's happening here? You didn't hurt yourself did you?"

"Damn it, my ceiling!" the old man, Zeff, growled when he saw the damage done to the ceiling, then he glared at Luffy, "Another thing that has to be fixed because of you! This is all your fault, you brat!"

"How is it my fault? You attacked me!" Luffy yelled furiously.

"Boss, can you stop messing around and give us a hand?" one of the chefs yelled desperately while holding Sanji back, "Sanji's gone crazy again, and this pirate isn't helping one bit!"

Zeff then looked to see Tarble as he said, "Ah, I see the young brat came with a friend. Good, then you can help him work for a year Monkey Boy!"

"What is it with everyone calling me Monkey Boy?" Tarble asked getting a little annoyed while Zeff just pointed at Tarble's tail.

Then Zeff turned to Sanji and yelled out, "Hey Sanji, don't tell me you went on another rampage in here, you idiot!"

"Put a cork in it, old man!" Sanji yelled back.

"Oh, now you're ordering me around!? Just who do you think you're talking to!?" Zeff exclaimed, "Do you want to sink my restaurant to the bottom of the sea, you punk!?" then he gave Sanji a good kick to the face with his pegged leg.

Tarble winced at the sight of Sanji being kicked, "This is one wild place to get something to eat."

Fullbody looked thrilled, but then Zeff glared at him, "YOU TOO! GET YOUR ASS OUT OF MY RESTAURANT!" then he gave Fullbody a good kick to the head as he went flying across the room until he landed painfully on the floor.

Tarble then looked at Zeff in awe, "Wow, he's really strong."

"How can you deny our motto!? That the customers are king!" the cook with big forearms yelled at Sanji.

Sanji just sneered, "The only kingly customers are the ones who can stomach the slop you call food."

"That's it! If you two want to fight you can do it in the kitchen, you understand me!?" Zeff yelled at them both.

Just then, a marine from Fullbody's ship ran in, "Lieu... Lieutenant Fullbody! We've got trouble!"

"Wow, this restaurant is crazy." Luffy said as Tarble helped him get back on his feet.

"You're telling me, and this is the first restaurant I've been to in my entire life." Tarble agreed as they watched the chaos take place in the restaurant.

* * *

So their visit to the Baratie isn't going as well as they thought it would. What kind of trouble is the marine soldier talking about? How will Luffy and his pirate crew get out of this to find a cook for the crew? Their visit to the Baratie continues next time on The X-Pirates!


	22. The Soup Chef and Little Waitress

Last time on The X-Pirates, the Straw-Hat Pirates met up with two of Zoro's friends, a bounty hunting duo named Johnny and Yosaku. The bounty hunting duo pointed the crew in the direction of the Sea Restaurant, Baratie in order to find a good cook to recruit. But as soon as they got there, they had a run in with a marine captain named Fullbody, and after an accident involving a cannonball, Luffy was taken to the Baratie by two angry chefs. Tarble went in to find Luffy, inside he met a soup chef named Sanji and after that, things kinda got a little crazy. And now, the continuation.

The Soup Chef and Little Waitress

A marine soldier looked scared as he held an injured arm as he yelled, "Sir, he escaped! Pirate Krieg's henchman attacked us and vanished!"

"What!?" Fullbody yelled with wide eyes.

"Well Sir, we've already lost seven of our own men and the only thing we wanted out of him was a lead to Krieg." the soldier explained while shaking.

"Impossible! When we picked him up three days ago he was right on the verge of starving to death and we haven't fed him anything! Where'd he get the strength!?" Fullbody yelled, catching Tarble by surprise.

"These marines haven't giving this guy a single thing to eat? I can't believe it! Even my own Father treated his subjects better than that!" Tarble thought, but then his expression darkened when he thought back to his banishment as he thought, "Well, at least those he believes has true potential." he didn't even noticed that Sanji's eyes narrowed as well while the customers began to gasp to each other.

"I'm sorry Lieutenant..." the marine soldier said before the sound of a gun went off and he fell to the ground.

"Huh? Who did that?" Tarble asked just before someone appeared in the doorway. It was a very thin man with short, scruffy hair and beard, dark circles under his eyes, like he hasn't slept in a while, a grey jacket that blew softly in the light breeze so that they could see two serpents on his back as he stumbled around with a gun in his hand.

"It would seem we have a new customer Sir." the buffy chef, Patty, whispered to Zeff.

"He would do well to mind his manners and not cause any trouble on my ship." Zeff added darkly while Luffy and Tarble watched him.

The man walked over and took a seat at one of the available tables before he put a foot up, "What's a guy gotta do to get some food around here? Bring me something to eat already." he said in a tired, but grumpy voice.

"Order up!" the door to the kitchen opened up as everyone turned to see a girl who looked no older than 14 with orange shoulder length hair, green eyes, wearing what looks like a school girl's outfit, along with a pair of boots. (A/N: This little lady is an Earthling OC from Xenoverse, made by Bloodwitch Raven. I just hope I'm getting her right for ya Bloodwitch Raven.)

The girl was balancing a tray with food on her head while walking over to a different customer when Zeff scolded her by saying, "Alice, how many times do I have to tell you to stop balancing food trays on your head!?" that made the young lady, Alice, jump a little, causing the tray that was on her head to fall to the floor, spilling the food as it did.

"Alice, do we have to go over this again?" Sanji asked with his hands in his pockets.

"Oops, sorry Big Brother Sanji." Alice said while twiddling her fingers.

Luffy went over to munch on the food that was on the floor, surprising Alice a little while Tarble went over to try and pull Luffy up while saying, "Luffy, don't eat that! People walk on that floor with their shoes!"

"Oh come on Tarble, I didn't have anything to eat since we got here, and this is so good!" Luffy whined as he tried to have some more while Tarble kept trying to hold him back.

"Luffy, please! People are staring at us." Tarble said while looking at some of the customers that were looking their way while Alice looked at them as well while sweat dropping.

Patty then walked over to the thin man and greeted in a fake cheery voice, "Hello and welcome, you damn crook."

"I'm just gonna say this one more time. Bring me something to eat and make it quick." the pirate snapped, but he still looked weak from hunger.

"No problem, just how are ya planning to pay for it?" Patty asked as the pirate aimed his gun at him.

"Do you take lead?" the pirate asked while Tarble turned to look as well.

Patty's eyes narrowed, his happy look completely gone as he asked, "So, you don't have any money then?" then he suddenly smashed the pirate's head right into the table and also breaking the chair the pirate was sitting on in half, making Luffy halt mid-eating to watch what was going on.

"That dumb-ass Patty broke another chair!" Zeff complained loudly.

"Wait, this has happened before?" Tarble asked with a tiny drop of sweat rolling down his face.

"Wow, what power!" Luffy exclaimed, sounding impressed.

Alice just smiled with her hands behind her back, "That's patty for ya."

"Sorry pirate, but our policy is to only serve paying customers." Patty said firmly, while cracking his knuckles together while the pirate just laid there.

Then the pirate's stomach growled so loud that it can be heard by everyone in the restaurant, Alice felt sorry for him as she thought, "He must be starving."

"Aww, I can hear your stomach growling from here, pirate." Patty mocked while Tarble narrowed his eyes while looking at the chef.

"That was a fart, jerk. Now listen... get me something to eat now." the pirate snarled.

"WE'RE NOT GETTING YOU ANYTHING, SO BEAT IT!" Patty yelled before he began to beat up the pirate who was still weak from hunger.

"Okay, that's it!" Tarble thought angrily, but then he looked at Sanji, who had a blank look on his face as he watched the beatdown while rolling up his sleeves , then he motioned Alice to follow him to the kitchen and that's what she did, so Tarble asked himself, "What are those two doing?"

"And now. you damn crooks!" Patty shouted as he took a curtsy with the customers giving him a round of applause, "If you need anything, just ask okay?" Then he picked up the pirate and carried him to the back door, "And please never come back!" then he threw the pirate out the door.

"What the hell is his problem? That's no way to treat people when they're starving!" Tarble said to himself as he glared at Patty.

"Come on, I wanna see what happened to that other guy." Luffy said as he got and climbed up the stairs with Tarble following them.

* * *

Once they got out onto one of the higher balconies, they looked down to see the hungry pirate, Gin, who began to curse while laying there while saying, "If I wasn't weak from hunger, I would be inside eating and that jerk of a waiter would be out here instead."

"Hey, you're not hungry by any chance are you?" Luffy called out to Gin.

"No... I'm not..." Gin snarled, even though his stomach growled, "Just leave me alone."

"The marine soldier said that you were weak from hunger. Come on, we can help you if you want." Tarble offered.

"Get away from me." Gin snarled.

Then suddenly, the door opened and they saw Sanji and Alice walking out with Alice balancing a tray with food and a glass of water on it, then Sanji took the tray and set it down next to Gin before he took a seat with his back against the railings before he lit up a cigarette. "Here you go, Sir. Eat up." Alice told Gin happily as she stood next to Sanji.

Gin's eyes widened while looking at the food, but then he turned away, looking a bit stubborn as he said, "Take it and leave me alone! I won't accept charity. It doesn't matter how down and out I may be. Just take the stuff away now!"

"Stop your whining and eat it already. I don't care what they say in there. To me, if anyone's hungry, they're a customer." Sanji said harshly.

"He never lets anyone he meets to go hungry, it's just how Big Brother Sanji is." Alice said with a sweet smile.

Gin still had his head turned away from the plate as he said, "Sorry... but I'm not your customer." even though his stomach growled in disagreement.

Then Sanji and Alice looked up at the sky, their expressions almost grim, while Alice said, "It's amazing how beautiful and cruel the ocean can be, isn't it?"

"How it's almost a death sentence to lose your food and water out here. How difficult it is to survive..." Sanji added, then he saw Alice look away from the sky sadly, so he wrapped an arm around her to give her comfort while an image of himself and Alice younger flashed in his head, along with them with Zeff and they looked like they went through something harsh along with two orange balls, the one Alice was carrying had two stars on it while the other one in Zeff's bag had seven stars before the image went away.

"We know what it's like to go hungry because of the sea more than anyone." Alice said sadly, making Sanji tighten his hold on her a tiny bit. Then Sanji told Gin, "You can die for your pride if you want, but listen, if you eat and survive, won't that give you the opportunity to fight for pride truly worth having now and in the future?"

Gin listened to those words as he glance at the food, before finally, he took the plate and pretty much inhaled it into his mouth, "I'm sorry!" he gasped out, his tears started to mix with the food as he tried to wipe them away furiously, "This food... it's delicious! I've never eaten food this good!"

Alice then smiled again as she said, "Thank you, Big Brother Sanji is one of the best cooks I've ever met!" Sanji smiled at the comment.

"Well, I'm glad he got something to eat now." Tarble said with a smile.

Luffy then chuckled, "Tarble, I think I just found our cook." Tarble raised an eyebrow in confusion while Luffy leaned over the rails and called to Gin, "You're lucky he gave you some food! You weren't looking so good there! I thought you were a goner!" Then he turned to Sanji and said, "So listen, Mister Cook, how about you leave this boat and join my crew!?"

Sanji looked surprised while Alice asked with curiosity, "Big Brother Sanji, join your crew?"

"We could use a cook like you on my pirate ship!" Luffy exclaimed happily before he gracefully jumped down and landed on the rails like a cat while Tarble floated down to the floor next to Gin.

"So, you're pirates?" Sanji asked while he and Alice looked Luffy and Tarble up and down.

"I'm sorry, but you two don't look like any pirates we've seen before." Alice added, then she took one more glance at Tarble's tail and said in a surprised tone, "Is that a real tail waving behind you Sir?"

Gin's eyes widened when he saw Tarble's tail as well while Tarble calmly said, "Yeah, I was born with it. Anyway, Luffy and I, plus some more members of our crew, were sailing around to find a good cook to recruit for our pirate crew."

"Is that why you went and did a crazy thing like shoot a cannonball into the restaurant?" Sanji asked Luffy, even though he sounded like he didn't care about the answer.

"That was an accident. It was a self-defense that turned into a stray shot. Tarble tried to help me out, but he was too late." Luffy said while Tarble just scratched the back of his head with a nervous grin.

"A stray shot?" Sanji asked, sounding close to laughing while Alice covered her mouth while giggling. Then Sanji told Luffy and Tarble, "In any case, you really don't want to do anything stupid to this place. The owner used to be a cook in a famous pirate fleet."

"Oh, so the old man used to be a pirate." Luffy said.

"Well, that explains a lot." Tarble added with his arms crossed.

"The Baratie means everything to Old Man Zeff and it's all he'll need for the rest of his life. Plus all the cooks that came here, looking for a job, were just like pirates." Alice told them.

"So we've noticed." Tarble said, remembering what he and Luffy just witnessed not that long ago.

"This is a really wild restaurant." Luffy added while clapping his sandals together.

Alice still smiled, "You get used to it."

Sanji sighed as he admitted, "So true, and this is how it is every day. It has gotten so bad that customers are coming just to watch fights between the cooks and the pirates. Every day it's a new pirate ship and a new rampage. It wasn't long until all the waiters got scared and bailed. In fact the only waitress we have now is Alice."

"Yeah, sometimes the waiters almost got injured in the fights, so I learned to defend myself in case a fight gets out of control." Alice added while getting into a fighting position.

Luffy thought it over before he said, "Ah, so that makes sense. So that's why the old man wants me to work for him for a year."

"A whole year?" Tarble asked with wide eyes.

"So, you're joining my pirate crew or what?" Luffy asked Sanji as if he didn't hear Tarble at all.

Alice glanced at Sanji who turned to Luffy with an apologetic look in his eyes as he said, "I'm sorry, but I can't. There's a reason why i have to work here in this restaurant, so I can't just walk away from it. Besides, I can't just leave Alice alone with those guys."

Alice looked a little upset as she said, "Big Brother Sanji, I've told you multiple times, I can take care of myself!"

Then Luffy bent over so that he was right in Sanji's face, who along with Alice was taken by surprise as Luffy declared, "No way! I don't accept!"

"Wait, YOU don't accept?" Tarble asked in confusion.

"What? You don't accept!?" Sanji yelled while Luffy moved back up and folded his arms.

"It's simple, I refuse to accept your refusal. You're a good cook and me and Tarble need one, so it's obvious that we should be pirates together." Luffy said stubbornly.

"That doesn't make any sense." Alice said while shaking her head as she stood next to Tarble.

"Yes, but Luffy's random at times." Tarble sighed.

"Listen to what I'm saying, I can't leave here alright?" Sanji said, clearly annoyed right now.

"What's you're reason for staying?" Luffy asked while Tarble was curious to find out himself.

"I don't have to tell you two anything!" Sanji barked at Luffy and Tarble.

"What the...? But you just told us to listen to you." Luffy mentioned.

Sanji stood up and yelled, "I told you my answer was no and that's all you and your monkey-tailed friend need to hear from me! Now you take your friend and your pirate ship and go find a cook somewhere else before I cut you up, Straw Hat!"

Tarble's eyes widened as he muttered, "Oh, he shouldn't have said that."

"Why?" Alice asked in confusion.

Luffy then lost his temper, and he and Sanji were now in each others faces as Luffy yelled, "You listen to me, jerk! No one makes fun of my straw hat unless they're ready for a beating!"

Tarble sighed as he pointed at Luffy and answered Alice, "That's why."

Then Gin decided to finally speak up by saying, "I'm sorry to interrupt..."

"What is it!?" Luffy and Sanji yelled irritably at Gin.

"My name is Gin and I'm a crew member of Don Krieg's pirate fleet." Gin simply said, then he turned to Luffy and asked him, "And you say you and your friend are pirates yourself? What is it you seek?"

Luffy's bad mood went away in a snap as he answered with, "Oh, the One Piece! Pretty soon, I'm gonna sail the Grand Line and find it!"

"Yeah, with guys like me by your side." Tarble happily added, but Gin's eyes widened and a look of terror was now on his face.

"Well, you couldn't have been seeking it for long." Gin suddenly said, gulping even though it was almost painful for him as he added, "If you don't even have a cook yet, your crew can't be all that big."

"Nope, he's only the seventh member." Luffy said while pointing at Sanji.

"I told you I'm not going, so don't count me!" Sanji yelled at Luffy while Alice looked at Sanji with a look of disappointment.

Tarble sighed, "Still randomly choosing members for the crew. Then again, that's what got me here."

"You seem like a nice kid so let me give you some friendly advice okay?" Gin said anxiously, "The Grand Line is a place you want to avoid. You're still young so there's no need to rush into anything. Remember, the Grand Line is one small part of this entire ocean. If you want to be a real pirate, there are plenty of other places out here on the sea to explore."

"I see." Luffy said, but his tone of voice said that he didn't really care how dangerous the Grand Line is, "Well, how about you just tell me and Tarble what to avoid in the Grand Line now?"

"I can't!" Gin said while shaking, "I don't know anything!" Then he moved his hand to one half of his face, like he was remembering a bad memory, "I don't understand it! And that's why I fear it!"

"That scary?" Alice asked in confusion.

"For being a member of Don Krieg's you're a pretty wimpy pirate." Sanji said.

"Don Krieg?" Luffy and Tarble asked in confusion.

"Wait, you two have never heard of Don Krieg?" Gin asked as if they told a crazy joke.

"Nope, who is he?" Luffy asked while Tarble just looked confused.

"Don Krieg, also known as Foul Play Crieg, a wanted pirate with a bounty of 17 million. He's got an entire Armada of pirate ships, one of the largest ever heard of in the history of the East Blue. We've been to the Grand Line, but only for a week, after that we left." Gin explained while shaking some more in fear.

* * *

On the Going Merry, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Pigero, Johnny, and Yosaku were getting impatient as they waited for Luffy and Tarble to come back.

"What's taking those two so long?" Pigero asked with his arms crossed.

"They sure are taking their sweet time in there, aren't they?" Zoro asked while looking at the Baratie.

"Let's go check on them and eat. I'm kinda hungry." Usopp suggested.

"Good thinking Usopp, let's go for it." Nami agreed.

"Hold on, who's gonna guard the Going Merry while we're eating in the Baratie?" Pigero asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't worry about that, Big Bro Pigero. Yosaku and I will guard the ship." Johnny offered as they kept picking up the wanted posters on the floor.

"Yeah, you guys go on ahead and eat. We'll keep watch." Yosaku agreed.

"Well, okay then. Let's eat." Pigero said as he, Zoro, Usopp, and Nami took another look at the Baratie.

* * *

Gin was now on a small he stole from the marines.

"Thanks for the warning, but we're still gonna go to the Grand Line." Luffy said to Gin with a hand on Tarble's shoulder.

"I know." Gin said with a brief nod, sounding like a completely different person, "Do whatever you want. I'm just a stranger and I can't stop you from going anywhere you want to go. I just wanted to give you and your friend a fair warning." Then he turned to Sanji and Alice with eyes of gratitude and respect as he said, "And to you chef and little waitress? Thank you for everything. You saved my life and I owe you both for that. Your cooking skills are the best I've ever seen."

Sanji smile back as he promised, "I'll have a seat for you."

"We both will." Alice added to the promise.

"CHORE BOY!" everyone looked up to see Zeff standing on the balcony Luffy and Tarble jumped off of, glaring down at Luffy, "Get up here now!"

"Sir Zeff." Tarble said silently.

"You're hard to find!" Zeff barked at Luffy, then he noticed Tarble so he asked, "And just who the hell are you?"

"I'm Tarble, I came in looking for Luffy." Tarble answered, even though he'll soon wish he hadn't have said that.

"I see, you're his friend? In that case, you can help him by working here for a year to pay for the damage done to the Baratie!" Zeff said, making Tarble's eyes wide.

"A whole year!?" Tarble asked in shock, but then he sighed, "If I have to."

Zeff's eyes then turned to the clean on the deck, and it wasn't a problem for him to figure out why there was a plate on deck while Alice whispered to Gin, "You might want to go now."

Gin looked guilty as he apologized to both Alice and Sanji as if he believed they were gonna get in trouble, or worse, get fired.

Sanji didn't look worried at all as he picked up the plate, fork, and glass and scoffed, "Whatever." Then he dropped the utensils into the sea. "There, now there's no proof so neither me or Alice can get yelled at." Sanji smirked, then Gin looked ready to cry while Zeff, Luffy, and Tarble looked on as Sanji called to Gin, "Try not to get caught again, you hear?" then Gin sailed away with the wind carrying him from the restaurant.

But as Gin sailed away, he got on his knees and bowed his head low, "Thank you again, Chef Sanji and Little Waitress Alice! I will never forget your kindness!"

"Okay, Sanji, Alice, Chore Boys, get back to work, on the double!" Zeff yelled to the four of them.

"Yes, Old Man Zeff!" Alice replied as she and Sanji left to get back to work while Luffy and Tarble looked at each other, then back up to Zeff.

"You two, come with me, I'll show you where to start working." Zeff said as he went back into the restaurant.

"Grumpy old man." Luffy grumbled as he and Tarble went in to get started.

"And to think we wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for the marines." Tarble mumbled in annoyance.

* * *

In the kitchen, things weren't exactly going well for Luffy: Eating all the food left for the customers, slacking off at time, dropping food all over, not to mention breaking the dishes, and the chefs were yelling at for those things.

As Tarble was washing the dishes, while trying hard to be very careful not to break any, he saw that Luffy was getting chewed out by Patty for eating another set of food as Tarble said to himself, "At this point, this restaurant won't even last for a year." While he said that, he heard a crack as he looked down to see that he broke the plate he was washing in half, so he groaned, "Oh not again."

One of the chefs saw the broken plate as he yelled at Tarble, "Hey, if you keep that up what will the customers eat their food off of!?"

"Sorry, I just don't know my own strength!" Tarble apologized with multiple bows.

"If you keep washing dishes like that, then it might be best to go serve the food to the customers! Now get to it Monkey Boy! Oh and take the trouble maker with you!" Patty yelled as he tossed Luffy over to Tarble.

"Yes sir!" Tarble and Luffy said, even though Luffy looked grumpy.

Soon Tarble was serving the customers with Luffy close by, and as he dropped off the last bit of food he had with him, he said, "We should probably get back to the kitchen and wait for further orders. And this time Luffy, could you please try to show a little self control and not eat everything?"

"I can't help it Tarble, it's just that I'm so hungry and the food's so good here!" Luffy complained a bit as they began to walk back to the kitchen.

"Well I'm hungry too, but do you see me eating everything I see?" Tarble asked, then he added, "Besides, if you keep that up then we'll never get to the Grand Line, which means you won't be able to be King of the Pirates one day."

Luffy gasped after hearing that, "What are we doing just standing around Tarble!? Hurry up!" then he walked faster while dragging a bewildered Tarble.

"Well, that got him." Tarble thought, but then...

"Chore Boys!" someone called as Luffy and Tarble turned around, only to gasp to see Nami, Zoro, Pigero, and Usopp sitting at a table having a meal of their own.

"Wh-What are you guys doing?" Tarble asked as they walked over to their four friends.

"Having lunch." Pigero answered with a grin.

"We heard you two had to work here for a whole year." Usopp mentioned with his own grin.

"Is it okay if we re-draw the flag for our ship?" Zoro asked with his usual grin.

Luffy and Tarble looked at the food on their table, and while Tarble drooled a little, Luffy was angry as he yelled, "You're eating all this delicious food without me and Tarble? What kind of crew are you!? How could you do this to us!?"

"Hold on, I think that's our business, isn't that right?" Zoro asked before he laughed, then Luffy picked his nose out of anger and placed what he dug out into Zoro's drink when he wasn't looking.

"Oh Luffy." Tarble sighed quietly, but then his stomach growled, making him groan a bit.

Usopp snickered while glancing at Zoro's drink as he muttered, "Oh boy, this is gonna be so good."

Usopp, Nami, and Pigero tried to hold in their laughter as Zoro picked up his glass and said, "You know, I have to say, the food here is quite delicious. Good stuff. Yes it is." Zoro held the glass close to his lips as Nami, Usopp, and Pigero still tried to hold in their laughter, "I feel bad for you two, but..." Then he suddenly grabbed Luffy and forced the drink down his throat and yelled, "YOU SHOULD BE DRINKING THIS YOURSELF!"

Luffy then had his hands on his neck while flailing on his back coughing and gagging, "Oh, I can't believe you did that!"

"Yeah? Well I can't believe YOU did THAT!" Zoro fought back while Nami, Usopp, and Pigero were laughing hard while the customers watched.

"Oh, that was nasty!" Luffy yelled, trying to get the taste out of his mouth while Tarble found himself laughing at the scene as well.

Then Sanji walked out towards the table and asked, "What's going on here, Chore Boys?" but then he glanced at Nami, so he walked over to her and asked as if he forgot about the others, "How are you enjoying your meal, my dear?"

"Oh, just fine, thank you. I'm Nami." Nami said sweetly, making Sanji blush a bit.

"Hey, I'm-" Usopp tried to introduce, but he interrupted as Sanji presented Nami with a rose.

"Oh it's lovely, but the problem is, I don't know if I have enough to pay for this." Nami said, trying to get out of paying.

"Not to worry, for a lovely lady like you, this is free of charge." Sanji said, still in his lovey dovey world, but then he glanced at the boys at the table and said, "You thre still have to pay however."

"HOW COME YOU'RE BEING NICE TO JUST HER!?" Usopp and Pigero yelled angrily while Zoro just glared at Sanji.

Suddenly losing his appetite, Zoro turned to Tarble, who was still drooling a little before he suddenly stomped on Tarble's tail, making him yell in pain with his mouth wide open before Zoro dumped the food on his plate into Tarble's mouth as he said, "Here, you take it, I'm full." then he closed Tarble's mouth with his own hands.

"Sanji?" Zeff said appearing behind Sanji.

"Stupid geezer." Sanji hissed as he glared at Zeff in annoyance.

"This is an opportunity you don't want to pass up." Zeff suddenly said as the six pirates were surprised to hear him say that as he continued with, "Why not join them and become a pirate?"

"That's what I asked him!" Luffy exclaimed while shooting back to his feet.

"STAY OUT OF THIS CHORE BOY!" Zeff yelled as he kicked Luffy with his peg leg, making him crash into Tarble, then he turned to Sanji and coldly said, "I have no need to keep you at my restaurant."

Sanji glared at him as he said, "Hey listen pal, I'm the Soup Chef in this place! What do you mean you don't need me anymore?"

Zeff leaned against another table and answered, "You fight with customers all the time, you flirt with every woman under 80 that walks through here, except for Alice, you can't even cook a descent meal."

Alice just got through delivering a meal as she saw Sanji's eyes twitch as Zeff continued on with, "You're as worthless to me as the chum after brunch. That's what I mean."

"So... I see Alice as a little sister, you should know that." Sanji tried to say as he heard the chefs laugh from the kitchen, which made him angry while Alice looked at him sadly.

"Oh, and let's not forget how the other chefs avoid you like you were poison, I'm surprised that Alice still wants to be anywhere around you. So just run off and become a pirate or whatever, but get out of this restaurant." Zeff finished up.

"Harsh, he could've said something a little nicer to him." Tarble thought as he swallowed the food Zoro forced into his mouth while Alice walked closer to hear better.

"That's how it is?" Sanji hissed back, "You shoot off at the mouth and expect that I'm just gonna take it, old man?" then he slowly walks over to Zeff, "I can blow off everything you said, but I won't let anyone trash my cooking! I'm staying here as a chef and that's final!" he then grabbed Zeff by the front of his coat and yelled, "YOU HEAR ME!?"

"Big Brother Sanji." Alice said quietly and sadly as the customers turned to the scene unfolding.

"What do you think you're doing?" Zeff demanded angrily, Grabbing your boss by the collar?" Freeing himself, he then threw Sanji like he was nothing as he shouted, "YOU INGRATE!" he threw Sanji at their table, smashing it and making Usopp jump a bit.

Cursing, Sanji got up and said, "Enough of the games. You can try to kick me out, but I'm here to stay. I'm not going anywhere old man, not until you're dead and gone!"

Zeff didn't look interested as he turned to leave as Tarble noticed the look in Zeff's eyes had a look of annoyance... and disappointment? "Dead? Ha! I got another hundred years of kicking your ass left in me!"

And soon, it was just the six Straw-Hat Pirates, Sanji, and Alice as Luffy looked thrilled and clamped a hand on Sanji's shoulder and said, "See? He said it's cool, so now you can become a pirate!"

"He's right Big Brother Sanji, go and be happy!" Alice agreed happily.

"SHUT UP!" Sanji yelled at Luffy, as he continued with, "I've told you and your friend before, I'm not leaving! I have my reasons for staying here! There's no way I could bring myself to leave Alice here with these damn chefs!" he didn't notice that Alice was getting pretty angry as he kept yelling, "She needs someone like me looking out for her! If I go off, there's no telling what could happen to her! She could get seriously injured in a regular fight between the chefs and the pirates!" Finally having heard enough, Alice suddenly gave Sanji a pretty hard punch to the gut, making him double over in pain as he looked quite surprised to see that the girl he considers his little sister hit him pretty hard.

"Will you quit treating me like I'm a child already!? I've told you before that I've learned how to fight, I can take care of myself! I don't need you or Old Man Zeff to keep protecting me! SO STOP BEING SO STUBBORN AND GO OUT AND BE HAPPY! I DON'T NEED YOU ANYMORE!" Alice yelled, making Sanji gasp quietly as Alice ran back into the kitchen in a bit of a fit and the room fell into silence.

"...Well, this is kinda awkward." Usopp said quietly after a few seconds of silence.

* * *

Later in the kitchen, Alice looked pretty hurt as she sat down and looked out the window while holding something in her hands as she said to herself, "He just won't leave. What would it take to get him to go out and live his dream?"

"So, this is where you've been." Alice jumped a bit as she turned to see Tarble looking at her with a soft smile.

"You're Straw Hat's friend." Alice said, still pretty sad.

Tarble nodded, "Yeah, his name's Luffy and I'm Tarble." then he took a seat next to Alice and said, "I've gotta say, I'm quite surprised at what you did to Sanji back there."

Alice scoffed and pulled what she was holding closer to her, "It's his own fault, he keeps treating me like a child! I'm 14 and I know how to fight and defend myself!"

"I can understand being underestimated at times, but he just doesn't want anything bad happen to you. Why are you so mad about him caring about you so much." Tarble asked as Alice didn't look mad anymore.

"It's not that I'm mad, I'm just a little annoyed that he won't get out and enjoy a good adventure." Alice admitted, surprising Tarble.

"Hold on, you want Sanji to leave too?" Tarble asked.

"I want him to live his life in happiness, even if it means trying to get him to leave this place behind, but he just won't leave no matter how hard we try to convince him." Alice said sadly while looking at what was in her hands.

Tarble took a look as well and saw that in her hands were two orange balls similar to the one Tarble had back on the Going Merry, only the ball in Alice's left hand had two red stars on it while the ball in her right hand had seven stars on it as he muttered, "Just like the ball I have."

"Beg your pardon?" Alice asked in confusion.

"The balls in your hands are similar to the one I have back on my ship." Tarble answered as Alice looked at the balls in her hands.

"They've been here for a while, these are considered the goo luck charms of the Baratie." Alice mentioned, then she sighed, "But then, one day, some green guy came in and took these by force. Old Man Zeff couldn't find them for a year until he got lucky as a couple of pirates came in holding these, so he managed to get them back. After that he told me to hold on to them for good luck."

"He seems like a sweet guy when he's not yelling." Tarble pointed out.

"If you've been in this restaurant as long as I have, you get used to it." Alice said, then she asked, "So what about you? Where did you get your ball?"

"A friend of mine gave it to me for good luck, and I promised him I'd give it back to him after I've become a strong fighter." Tarble answered.

"Sounds nice, a lot nicer than how Big Brother Sanji and I came across these." Alice said, catching Tarble's attention.

"What happened?" Tarble asked, looking pretty concerned.

Alice then sighed as she told Tarble the story, "I was just a little girl when I met up with Sanji. At the time he was working on a different ship. Then a bunch of pirates came and attacked during a horrible storm... And Old Man Zeff was a cook for those pirates." this shocked Tarble as Alice went on, "As the storm got worse, everyone got out safely... except for me and Big Brother Sanji, we didn't get out in time and the next thing I knew, the two of us were stranded on a big rock at sea with Old Man Zeff. I was so scared at the time, I didn't know what to do, so Big Brother Sanji stood up to Old Man Zeff to protect me, but then the old man just left us some food to eat and then left while telling us to keep watch for a nearby ship to save us. Then one day, when we were pretty much starving..."

* * *

_Alice's Flashback:_

_On the rock in the middle of the sea, a younger Sanji who looked pretty messy and nothing but skin and bones kept looking out for a ship while a younger Alice, who was as messy in a yellow dress and looked like skin and bones herself was keeping a look out for a ship as well_

_So far, they had no luck as Alice sighed, then something caught her eye, a faint glow next to her as she asked herself, "What was that?" then she looked around until she spotted a shiny orange ball with two red stars on it, so she smiled a little as she picked it up and said, "Ooh, this is pretty!"_

_Then she ran over to Sanji and showed him the ball, "Lookie Big Brother Sanji, isn't the prettiest ball you've ever seen?" she asked happily as Sanji took a glance at the ball._

_"Where did you get that Alice?" Sanji asked while looking at the ball._

_"It was right here on this rock, maybe this will bring us good luck." Alice said while Sanji glanced back at Zeff's direction._

_"That old fart... Wonder if he's dead.." Sanji thought as he slowly crawled over to get to Zeff._

_"Hey, where are you going?" Alice asked before she followed after Sanji until they made it to Zeff's location and they gasped as Zeff looked like he was looking out as well with a sack by his side, __"He's still alive." Alice whispered._

_"Moreover, his ration... there's so much of it left." Sanji whispered back, before he gave off a hopeful smile and said, "There's still so much food left for us!"_

_Alice got a little scared when she saw the knife in Sanji's hands as she asked, "Wh... What are you doing?"_

_"No matter what, I have to get my hands on it... for both of us!" Sanji said with a bit of a sinister look, "It's his entire fault to begin with! We have to live on! Let's get it." Sanji told her as they both began to worm their way closer to Zeff._

_Zeff seemed to noticed them as he told them without even looking, "Why are you two brats here?" that made them stop as they panted when Zeff asked, "Perhaps one of you found a ship?"_

_Sanji then held the knife up again and said, "We're here to take your food! If you're gonna kill us, then go ahead and try. Without anything to eat, we'd die anyway."_

_"You should share with others if you have so much Mister." Alice said as the ball in her hands glowed in the sunlight, that got Zeff to look back a bit._

_"My, that's quite a shiny orange ball you've got there little lady, reminds me of something I've found before." Zeff mentioned, confusing Alice while Sanji ran to the sack with the knife in his hands._

_"Don't listen to him Alice, let's dig in!" Sanji yelled as he sliced the sack open, but he and Alice were surprised and disappointed to see that the bag was filled with treasure instead of food, and that was enough to make Sanji drop the knife as he fell to his knees, but then he and Alice saw something orange among the gold, it was an orange ball like the one Alice found, only with seven red stars on it as Sanji picked it up and said, "It matches the ball Alice found."_

_"I was quite surprised to see something like that myself. By the way, I thought we were not to contact each other until one of us saw a ship?" Zeff mentioned, still not looking at the kids._

_"This is all just shiny gold." Alice said, looking back at the table._

_"Having money but nothing to eat. Funny story, don't you think?" Zeff asked as Sanji and Alice turned to him._

_Then Sanji ran over to Zeff and began to shake him by the coat as he yelled, "What's this nonsense? What's going on here!? Where's the food? Didn't you eat anything until now?" then he and Alice walked over to his said as Sanji demanded, "Say something!" the the kids gasped when they saw that Zeff was missing a leg._

_"M-M-Mister, w-w-w-what happened to your leg?" Alice asked while trembling, making Sanji hold her hand even though he was surprised himself._

_Then Sanji gasped as an image of Zeff stuck by the leg under water using an anchor chain to wrap around his leg, ready to make a big sacrifice to save the children, then Sanji thought, "It was then..." then he said, "It wasn't just a dream... To have you save me and Alice."_

_Then Alice and Sanji looked tearful as Alice asked, "The food you gave us before, *Sniff* that was all you had, wasn't it?"_

_"Precisely." Zeff answered._

_"Without that leg, you can't be a pirate anymore, can you?" Sanji asked._

_"Guess you're right." Zeff answered._

_Alice then began to cry while Sanji yelled, "Why? You didn't have to do that! I don't remember asking you to treat me or Alice so kindly!"_

_Alice stopped crying to ask, "Why?"_

_"You kids... have the same dream as me, don't you?" Zeff suddenly asked, confusing the kids._

_"To find the All Blue?" Sanji and Alice asked._

_Then they got to their feet as Sanji said, "But your crew said that there's no such thing."_

_"But there is." Zeff said while handing the Seven-Star ball to Alice as he continued with, "I've found that ball while trying to find the All Blue myself. Not even my crew knew that I had it." then he turned to Sanji and said, "When the time comes, travel to the Grand Line! The All Blue is definitely there! I can't be a pirate anymore without a leg, so this time, one of you go out there and find it for all three of us." then Zeff laid on his back, making Sanji and Alice gasp._

_"Hey, Old Man, don't die!" Sanji yelled._

_"Please don't die Mister!" Alice pleaded with tears in her eyes as she kept holding on to the orange balls._

_Zeff opened his eyes, "This sea... I wonder how many people have cursed the vastness of this sea and died. Up until now, whenever I've been in a drawn out starvation dilemma, I'd think to myself, 'Wouldn't it be nice if there was a restaurant somewhere on this vast sea?'"_

_"Restaurant?" Sanji and Alice asked in confusion._

_"Yeah." Zeff replied, "If I manage to escape this hitch, I'd bet everything into building my own restaurant."_

_"Hey, I can help you with that Mister." Alice offered while holding the balls close to her._

_"So will I, so don't die on us!" Sanji added._

_"For two young brats like yourselves, that'd be impossible." Zeff told them._

_"We'll get stronger, please?" Alice said with tears returning to her eyes._

_Sanji pulled her into a comforting hug as he said, "Yeah... don't die!"_

_Zeff then smiled at the two kids as they kept crying._

_Flashback end:_

* * *

"And so, that's what we did. Made the Baratie the restaurant she is today." Alice finished her story while holding the two balls close to her.

To say that Tarble was surprised by what he heard would be an understatement with his eyes wide and his jaw hanging down a bit, then he asked, "Alice, if you don't mind me asking, what's the All Blue?"

"It's the one spot somewhere in the Grand Line where different types of fish you'll normally find in the four different parts of the sea. Some say the All Blue doesn't exist when I was a little girl, I'm just glad I've found two guys that also believe in the All Blue." Alice explained, then she turned to Tarble and added, "Your crew plans on going to the Grand Line, correct?"

Tarble nodded, "Yeah, to accomplish our own dreams. Luffy wants to become the King of the Pirates, Usopp wants to become a brave warrior of the sea, Zoro's dream is to be the world's greatest swordsman, and Pigero's trying to fulfill his Father's dream of sailing around the entire world."

"What about that lady with you?" Alice asked.

"Nami?" Tarble asked as he thought back before he answered, "You know, she never really told us her goal."

"And you Mister Tarble?" Alice asked, really curious.

"I'm trying to become the strongest Saiyan ever so I can redeem the Saiyan name for the better." Tarble answered while sounding a bit.

"What's a Saiyan?" Alice asked in confusion, but before Tarble could answer...

"CHORE BOY, GET BACK TO WORK!" Zeff and Patty called out.

Tarble sighed and got to his feet, "I'll tell you later, I'd better get back to work and also make sure Luffy doesn't eat anything."

Then Tarble left Alice alone with the Two-Star ball and the Seven-Star ball, she didn't even noticed that Sanji was looking at her with a look of regret and guilt on his face before he sighed sadly and walked away to do his own job.

* * *

So Luffy has his eyes on Sanji to be the cook for his crew, but he won't go for some reason. How long can Luffy and Tarble stay in the Baratie before something crazy happens. A series of things go wrong, next time on The X-Pirates!


End file.
